


Red Roses and White Snowflakes

by Wannabe_AH_Lad



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Romance, Yuri, girl love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-14
Updated: 2015-11-03
Packaged: 2018-04-14 16:23:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 39,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4571388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wannabe_AH_Lad/pseuds/Wannabe_AH_Lad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A couple of weeks after the initiation into Beacon, Weiss and Ruby have grown closer together. One day, Weiss discovers that Ruby has strong feelings for her. As much as Weiss has started to care for Ruby, could she possibly return the girl's feelings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Accidental Discovery

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, Wannabe_AH_Lad here! To those of you who know about this fanfic on Fanfiction.net, I have finally decided to get an AO3 account, and I will be posting and updating the story here as well as on Fanfiction.net I hope you enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weiss discovers about Ruby's feelings for her.

Weiss yawned quietly during the middle of class. Normally, Weiss paid full attention in class, but the professor was talking only about himself and not about the subject for which this class is for, and who wants to listen to a narcissist talk about himself for nearly a full hour anyway. Weiss looked over at Ruby, who was drawing something. She couldn't make out what it was, but she saw a glimpse of the corner of it, which seems to be more artistic than how she drew that one picture during the first day of class.

"What are you drawing, Ruby?" Weiss whispered to her younger teammate.

Ruby jumped up and tried to hide the picture. "I-it's nothing." Ruby replied, trying to hide the picture from Weiss.

Weiss knew for sure that it was definitely not "nothing." Weiss grabbed the piece of paper. "Come on, let me see." Weiss tried to pull away the paper, but Ruby still had a pretty tight grip on the drawing. The two girls started pulling the paper back and forth. Ruby kept on telling Weiss to stop, and Weiss said she wasn't going to until she saw the drawing. Blake and Yang's attentions were drawn into the quarrel between Weiss and Ruby. Luckily, the professor was too focused on talking about himself to notice the girls fighting over the picture.

Weiss finally managed to yank the picture out of Ruby's hands. The picture was a sketch of both Ruby and Weiss holding hands, and there was a border of roses around the drawing of the two girls. The roses were both shaded differently which means they were both red and white roses, and just outside the border of roses, there were little hearts on each corner of the paper.

Weiss was impressed with Ruby's drawing skills, but she was more curious about why was Ruby drawing a picture of the both of them with hearts on the picture. Weiss looked at Ruby, and her face was completely red. Before Weiss could ask Ruby what the meaning of the drawing was, the bell rang and Ruby was out of the room within seconds.

The other three girls of team RWBY got up and left the classroom. As they were walking along the halls of Beacon, Yang and Blake took a look at Ruby's picture. Yang said teasingly, "It looks like my little sister has a crush on you, Weiss."

Weiss asked skeptically, "You don't really think that's what it is, do you?"

Blake said, "Well, why else would Ruby draw something like that?"

"I suppose you're right." Weiss thought to herself, Are they right though. Could she actually be in love with me?

Yang said, "Well, more importantly, I want to know what you think about this, Weiss. How do you feel about Ruby?"

* * *

Ruby was pacing back and forth around the cliff in front of Beacon. She wasn't sure what to do now. "I can't believe that Weiss saw that picture," Ruby said to herself. "I know that drawing it in the same room as her was a dumb idea, but I didn't expect her to actually take interest in what I was doing. But what am I going to do now? If I go back to our room, she'll most likely be there, and we'll most likely end up having an awkward discussion."

Ruby let herself drop to her knees and lied down, similar to what she did on the day she arrived at Beacon. "I can't bring myself to tell Weiss how I feel about her. I mean we're both girls. What if she doesn't return my feelings?" Ruby closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "I am so screwed."

* * *

It was around 9:30, and Weiss was searching the school grounds for Ruby. After class ended, she, Yang, and Blake went back to their dorm room, but Ruby wasn't there. They expected her to have come back eventually, but she never showed up. So, the three of them decided to split up and go search for their team leader. Weiss ran out towards the cliff, and Ruby was sitting near the edge. Weiss walked towards Ruby.

Ruby heard some footsteps behind her. She turned her head to see Weiss coming to her. However, Ruby got up and quickly ran off. "Wait, Ruby!" Weiss called out and started chasing after her. Ruby was starting to leave Weiss behind little by little, but Weiss wasn't going to let Ruby get away. Weiss unsheathed Myrtenaster and stabbed it into the ground. Ice exploded out of the ground in a trail following Ruby. The ice had caught up to her and captured her foot, causing her to drop to the ground.

Weiss had caught up to Ruby and paused to take a breath. "Y-you are r-really fast," she stated in between breaths.

"Let me go!" Ruby demanded, trying to get her leg out of the ice but to no avail.

Weiss kneeled down next to Ruby. "Not until we've talked about your drawing." Ruby's face was already turning to a light shade of red. "Do you have strong feelings for me, Ruby?"

Now Ruby's face was colored really dark red. "Y-yes," she replied.

"Then why haven't you told me?" Weiss asked.

"Because I was afraid of what you might say…" Yang walked up and saw Ruby and Weiss talking, but they hadn't noticed her. Yang, curious to see how things would turn out, hid behind a tree to eavesdrop on them. The two girls sat there for a moment, but then Ruby asked, "How do YOU feel about this?"

Weiss's cheek turned a little pink. "I-I don't know. I mean, it feels a little weird because both you and I are girls. I do care about you a lot, but it just doesn't feel right."

"Oh…" Weiss saw Ruby's eyes fill with depression. It pained her to see the usually cheerful girl look so sad.

"But that doesn't mean we can't try to see if things work out."

Ruby's head shot up. "Really?!" The depression in her eyes was replaced with hope, hope that things will work out.

Weiss smiled kindly and nodded. "Yes. We can try dating and stuff, and see if things could get more serious from there."

Ruby felt as if a lot of weight was lifted off of her heart. Ruby pulled Weiss into a hug. "Thank you, Weiss."

Weiss returned the hug, and she had the ice that caught Ruby melt. Yang decided it was time to interrupt. "Hey, Ruby, we've been looking everywhere for you," Yang acted as if she had just arrived. "What were you doing out here at this time of night?"

Weiss and Ruby stood up. "Oh, nothing," Ruby replied. "I just had to do a bit of walking."

"Well, anyway, we should probably find Blake and head back to our dorm room."

Ruby nodded, "Right."

They were about to walk off, but Yang stopped Weiss. "Go on ahead of us, Ruby," said Yang, "I'm gonna have a little chat with Weiss."

"Okay." Ruby ran back off to the building.

When Ruby was gone, Yang turned to Weiss and asked casually, "So, you two are going to start dating, are you?"

Weiss nodded, "Yes we are Yang. But why don't you get straight to the point. I know you wouldn't talk to me in private just to ask if I was going to date your sister."

Yang's face changed from casual to serious. "Alright then. As you know, I am Ruby's older sister, and I love her very much, and that also means it's my job as her big sister to protect her." Weiss had a good feeling about where this conversation was heading. "So, I need to tell you this. If you break up with Ruby because you don't actually swing that way, I'll understand that much, but if for any other reasons, you break Ruby's heart or make her cry, well, let's say you'd better watch your back, or bad things will happen."

"Trust me; I would never want to break her heart."

"I hope so." Yang and Weiss started to walk back to their dorm. "So, do you think things will work out between the two of you?"

Weiss shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I care about Ruby a lot, but I don't know if it is like a sisterly-love sort of thing, or if it actually is love. But I guess we'll find out soon enough." The two walked quietly for a moment, then Weiss added, "By the way, where did Ruby get those amazing drawing skills, because that one drawing she made of the professor wasn't very good."

"Ruby has always been a great artist. It's just that who would actually put in that much effort into a drawing to make fun of someone?"

"You got a good point there."

* * *

Weiss and Yang entered their dorm to find Blake reading a book, and Ruby sleeping on Weiss's bed. Weiss asked Blake, "Why is Ruby sleeping on my bed?"

Blake replied, "She found me on the way back, and on the way here, she said she was feeling really tired. When we got in, she instantly lied down and fell asleep."

Weiss approached the bed and watched Ruby sleeping in her bed. Weiss let out a sigh. "She looks so cute. I can't wake her up just to get her to move."

Yang asked, "So, what're you going to do?"

"It's still my bed, isn't it? We'll just share it tonight," Weiss replied with a tint of red covering her face. Blake held back an intrigued look and continued to read her book, and Yang couldn't help but smirk.

Yang stretched out her arms and yawned. "Alright, but you better not do anything funny to her tonight."

Weiss's face became an even darker shade of red. "O-of course not!" she yelled. "Why would you think I'd do something like that?!"

Yang laughed and replied, "Oh, I was just messing with you."

Weiss had gotten dress in her nightclothes and got into the bed next to Ruby. Weiss stared at Ruby's face as she slept. The more Weiss looked at Ruby, the faster her heart starting to beat. Weiss closed her eyes to go to sleep, but she kept on wondering why her heart was beating so fast. Just before she had completely fallen asleep, Weiss wondered, Is it really because of love.


	2. The Day After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby has trouble coming up with ideas for a first date.

Yang stood at the front of the bed that Ruby and Weiss were sleeping on; she was holding a camera. Over the night, while they were asleep, Ruby ended up wrapping her arms and legs around her crush and nuzzled her head into Weiss's chest. She had a small smile on her face. With a click and a flash of light, Yang had taken a picture of her two sleeping teammates. Blake, who had just woken up, asked, "Yang, what are you doing?"

The blonde answered quietly but still loud enough to hear, "They just looked so cute that I had to take a picture. Plus, I'm waiting for Ruby to wake up so I can take a picture of her reaction when she wakes up."

Blake chuckled and got up from her bed. "I'm going to get ready for classes." She went to the bathroom, leaving Yang along with her teammates. The blonde had already showered and gotten dressed in her school uniform so that she would have all the time she needs to watch the two sleeping girls and take pictures of them.

Since no one else was awake in the room, she was left alone with her thoughts. As she watched Ruby and Weiss sleep, she still wondered about whether or not things will work out between the two of them. While she hoped so, there was still a big part of her in the back of her mind that was feeling very pessimistic. She highly doubts that someone like Weiss would actually be gay.

Getting tired of being alone with her thoughts, she moved to roll Ruby a little bit, the result causing the team leader to start waking up, and the blonde got back into position for taking a picture. At the very least, she will have some pictures of happy memories.

Ruby opened up her eyes, finally awake, and she found herself cuddled up with Weiss. She didn't know how to react to this situation. She just lied there with her arms and legs still wrapped around her partner, and she stared into the sleeping girl's face with her own face turning a very dark shade of red. She was distracted when she noticed a flash at light. Trying to find the source, she found her smiling sister looking at them with a camera. "Yang," Ruby said quietly. She carefully unwrapped herself from Weiss and got up. "What're you doing?"

Yang just shrugged. "What? You two were so cute sleeping together. I just had to get a picture."

Ruby looked back and forth between her sister and friend. "How did Weiss and I even end up sleeping in the same bed?"

"Apparently after confessing your feelings to Weiss, you came back and you were so tired that you immediately fell asleep in her bed."

"Oh, right. I told Weiss that I had feelings for her last night." Ruby had finally completely woken up and now remembers everything that has transpired the night before. "Oh man, even though it doesn't bother her, I'm still finding it difficult to face her right now. What do I do, Yang?"

"I'm sorry, Rubes, I guess you'll just have to figure that out when she wakes up."

Ruby huffed. "Some sister you are. You're really helpful."

* * *

Team RWBY sat in Professor Port's class, yet again. The self-obsessed professor was talking about a time he defended a group of people from a group of Ursa. Yang was dozing off, Blake and Weiss were paying attention, and Ruby, while making it appear like she is paying attention, was thinking about her whole ordeal with Weiss. Apart from a morning greeting, the two hadn't said anything to each other all day.

Ruby was contemplating what she should do. Should she ask Weiss if she would like to go out on a date this weekend; after all she said she was willing to try dating. Then again, Weiss is usually picky about getting her studying done and will most likely say that she doesn't have time. "Why am I feeling so nervous and awkward about being around Weiss now?" Ruby shouted to herself in her mind. She looked over to her white haired friend, wondering what she is thinking about right now. Probably more focused on the "lecture" than anything else.

She looked over at Yang, who had her head on the desk, fast asleep. Following her sister's lead, she let her head drop onto the desk and joined her in Sleep Land. Hopefully she'll know what to do after class.

* * *

Port's class was over. Now Weiss and Blake were on their way to Oobleck's history class, and Yang and Ruby were on heading to Glynda's combat training class. During their walk, Ruby said sternly, "Yang. I STILL don't know what to do. Why do I feel so awkward around Weiss?"

Yang replied, "It's probably because it's not enough that she accepts your feelings, but rather you don't know if Weiss is capable of returning your feelings, so you're just freaking out about that bit." The two continued on walking silently for a minute. "So are you going to ask her out on a date soon?" Yang felt weird about asking her sister if she was going to ask out another girl, but this is her sister and she wants to be supportive.

"Yeah. I'm going to ask her if she wants to go out this weekend."

"Do you have anything in mind for the date?"

Ruby stopped dead in her tracks. "Nnnnnnnnnnnnnope…"

Yang chuckled while wrapping her arm around her sister. "Come on, Rubes. Your big sis will help you come up with something."

The siblings spent their time in Glynda's class trying to come up with an idea for a first date when students sparred against each other. They did stop talking when it came down to Nora sparring against Yang. The results were a destroyed arena and class had to halt while they fixed it up. After the match, Yang brought Nora along and asked, "So, Nora, what would you do for a first date?"

Nora got excited, but then again, she's excited about everything. "Oh! Who's going on a date with whom?" she asked.

The blonde pointed towards her sister. "Ruby here is going on her first date, and we're trying to come up with ideas. I was thinking it would be good to get another person's input."

"Yang…" Ruby said nervously. "Are you sure we should bring her in?"

Nora turned to Ruby. "Oh, you're going on your first date ever?! With who?!"

"Well, actually we're just trying things out right now to see if things would work out between us. I'm not sure if I should say anything until then."

"Come on! Please?!" Nora pleaded, giving Ruby puppy eyes.

Ruby sighed. "Promise me not to tell anyone, not even Ren?" Nora nodded furiously. Ruby hesitated before answering, "It's Weiss."

"Wei…" The eccentric girl was about to shout out the name of the Schnee heiress out of excitement, but Yang covered her mouth with her hands.

The blonde hushed her. "Please don't announce it to the world, Nora."

Getting the girl's hand off of her mouth, Nora apologized quietly. "Sorry." Looking at the leader of Team RWBY, she said, "I'm actually kinda surprised, Ruby. I didn't think you as the type to swing that way, much less be one to fall for someone like Weiss."

Ruby smiled and shrugged. "Neither did I or my team. Just remember that you promised to keep it a secret."

Nora pretended to zip her mouth shut. "Your secret is safe with me."

Yang asked, "So, what would you do, Nora?"

Nora, putting her finger to her chin, thought for a moment before snapping her fingers. "Oh, I got it!" She told the two sisters her idea, and they continued on talking about the topic for the rest of class.

* * *

After all of their classes were over, Yang and Ruby returned to their dorm where Weiss and Blake already made it back to. Ruby's face turned a little red as she greeted, "Hey, Weiss."

"Hey, Ruby," the heiress returned the greeting.

Thinking that the two of them needed a little alone time, Yang said, "Hey, Blake, there is this new sushi restaurant in town. You and I should check it out. I'm pretty sure you would like it with you being part cat and all." She grabbed Blake's arm and pulled her out of the room.

As she was being dragged along, Blake shouted, "Wait! Yang!" before the door closed and the two of them were gone.

The two remaining girls remained in the room with a bit of awkward silence. Weiss was sitting on the edge of her bed, and Ruby took a seat next to her. Ruby asked, "S-s-so W-Weiss, how was your day?" Her face started to turn a slightly darker shade of red."

Weiss had a little bit of blush going on her cheeks as well. "It was fine, Ruby. How was yours?"

"Mine was good too." The two sat in silence again for another minute. "Soooo… Weiss…"

"Yes, Ruby?"

"W-would you like to go out on a d-date this weekend?"

Even though she knew what was coming, hearing her team leader ask her that was still a huge shock. "Yes, Ruby." Ruby felt like some weight was lifted off of her shoulders. "So… What do you have planned for this weekend?"

Ruby smiled at her friend. "You'll just have to wait and see."


	3. First Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby and Weiss goes out on their first date.

The rest of the week flew by quickly, and Saturday has finally arrived, the day that Ruby and Weiss had agreed to go out on a date. Weiss was looking at all of her clothes. Ruby said to wear something simple yet warm. Today was a cold winter day after all. She wondered what her date had planned, but she knew that she wasn't going to get the information out of her any time soon. She looked over at Ruby, who wore some black shorts, a black t-shirt with her rose emblem printed on the chest, a scarf wrapped around her neck as well as some black tennis shoes and a jacket. Weiss, finally deciding on what to wear, grabbed some clothes and went into the bathroom to change.

Ruby watched the heiress enter the bathroom. She could feel butterflies fluttering about in her stomach. Slumping back against the wall, she clutched her stomach in a futile attempt to stop the butterflies and she proclaimed, "Oh, man… I'm feeling really nervous about this."

Seeing the nervousness within her sister, Yang placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder, smiling big-heartedly. "Don't worry, Ruby," comforted Yang, "All you need to do is be yourself and have fun. You do remember the plan that we came up with Nora, right?"

The dark red-haired girl nodded. "Yes."

"Then you'll be fine. Don't think too much about it." The blonde pulled her into a huge hug. Ruby felt the fluttering of the butterflies dying down, but still mingling a little bit.

Freeing herself from Yang's hug, she said, "Thanks, Yang. I feel better now."

Yang gave her a thumb up, "No problem, Rubes."

It was at that time that Weiss had exited from the bathroom. She was wearing a white, long sleeved shirt that had a snowflake patterns scattered across it, regular blue jeans with a belt fastened around her waist, a white jacket and white pumps. Weiss smiled, asking, "Well, Ruby? Are you ready to go?"

Ruby smiled back. "Yeah." She ran up to Weiss, grabbing her hand, saying goodbye to Blake and Yang before they left the room.

* * *

Ruby and Weiss walked across Vale, the dark red-haired girl leading the way. As they walked on, they talked about how things were going in some of their classes. Weiss, obviously, was making perfect grades, while Ruby's grades were averagely B's but the average has been steadily increasing over the past few weeks. The heiress expressed her pride of the younger girl scoring better grades.

They eventually reached a blocked off area that had an ice skating rink in it. There were people skating all over the place, mostly couples. There were also several food stands within the area. Ruby stated, "Here we are, Weiss."

"We're going ice skating?" Weiss asked a little nervous.

"Yeah. Is there something wrong with that?" Ruby asked a little concerned that date wouldn't like her plan.

"N-no. It's just that I've never ice skated before. I'm afraid I might fall or something."

Ruby grabbed Weiss' hand. "Don't worry. I'll be there to help."

After paying for admission into the area as well as for some skates to borrow, the two girls made their way onto the skating rink. As soon as they stepped onto the ice, Weiss started slipping and grabbed onto the railing on the border of the rink to support herself. Ruby just giggled as she skated around the white-haired girl with ease. "Having a little trouble there, Weiss?"

"What do you think?" she snapped.

"Come on, Weiss. Let go of the railing. You'll never learn how to skate if you hold onto that the entire time." The heiress was still showing signs of hesitation. "Come on, Weiss. We fight monsters for a living, and yet you can't handle the idea that you might fall."

"Fine!" Weiss let go of the railing. She tried to skate across the ice, but she immediately lost her balance and fell onto the ice.

Ruby couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the normally pompous ice queen falling embarrassingly onto the ice. The queen protested the laughter, but the young girl couldn't control herself. Offering out her hand, she said, "Here. I'll help try to keep you up." Weiss grabbed her hand, but Ruby foolishly tried to yank her up. Weiss didn't respond well with Ruby trying to force her up quickly causing both of them to lose their balance and Ruby crashed on top of Weiss. "Oof."

The white haired girl sighed. "Perhaps you shouldn't try yanking people up like that."

Ruby rolled off of Weiss, groaning, "You're probably right." The two of them used the railing as support to stand back up. Once back on their feet, Ruby offered her date her hand again. "Alright, now let's try this again with the both of us already standing."

Weiss slowly grabbed Ruby's hand and the younger girl started leading them along the skating rink. Weiss was having a hard time keeping her balance at first. After many failed attempts of skating a full lap without falling down, she managed to get the hang of keeping her balance, with a little bit of help.

She looked at Ruby, who looked as content as could be. The two of skated around the ice for a good while, their hands still holding onto each other. Eventually, Ruby had them come to a stop. Letting go of her hand, she said, "Ok, Weiss. Now let see if you can do this without my help."

Weiss watched as her date started dancing around on the ice, thinking that she was really just trying to show off now. Trying to move forward, she lost her balance again, but she quickly managed to regain it. She started skating along the rink, fighting to keep her balance as she did so. After struggling to skate a couple of laps, she finally managed to get the grasp of skating by herself.

Ruby came in front of her and started skating backwards. Now that was just showing off. She said playfully, "I see you finally managed to get the hand of ice skating, Weiss."

"Yeah, thanks to you, Ruby."

"Now let's see you try to keep up with me." Ruby turned around and glided forward, leaving Weiss behind. The princess smirked, taking on the challenge. She skated forward, trying to keep up with Ruby. The dark haired girl wasn't putting in all of her effort as she danced around the ice in front of her friend. "Come on, Weiss. You're going to try a lot harder than that to keep up with me."

"Just you watch I will catch you, Ruby Rose!" proclaimed Weiss. She put all of effort into trying to catch her childish teammate, but every time she would get close, Ruby would use her semblance and she would disappear leaving behind a cloud of rose petals. "Now that's just cheating!"

After getting close to her, Weiss tried lunging forward to prevent Ruby from using her semblance to get away, but she still wasn't fast enough and ended up falling flat on her face. Other ice skaters just went on by, a couple laughing at the spectacle that occurred before them. Ruby just came sliding back around and stopping in front of Weiss. She smirked, saying, "I guess I win then."

She offered her hand out to her girlfriend, which she accepted and Ruby helped her up carefully this time. "Only because you cheated."

"Hey. I never said that I couldn't use my semblance."

"With your semblance, the challenge is utterly unfair. It might as well be cheating."

Ruby smiled deviously. Still holding on to each other's' hands, they continued ice skating and letting the time fly on by.

Ruby and Weiss had finished with ice skating and are now wandering the area; they have gotten themselves a couple of hot beverages from one of the stands. Ruby was drinking hot chocolate and Weiss had coffee. Ruby said, "You know, there's a crazy story that goes along with this skating rink."

"Oh, yes?" Weiss asked, sounding a little interested. "What would that be?"

"One time, A young teenage boy and his younger sister came here to ice skate, however while they were skating, the sister fell under the ice. She was under the ice for three hours, and when they finally managed to pull her out not only was she still alive, she was pregnant."

Weiss asked in disbelief, "How the hell is something like that possible?!"

Ruby just shrugged. "I don't know. I heard they came from a family of crazy circus people, so maybe that factors in somehow. I think I even heard that their mother was both the bearded lady and the fat lady."

"Don't you think that's a little far-fetched?"

"Oh, yes. Definitely, but it is a famous rumor associated with this particular skating rink, so I thought it would just be nice to share."

"Well, I do have to agree with you that it was crazy."

Meanwhile, somewhere out in the world, a chubby guy sneezed. An older guy with a gruff voice said, "You better not be getting a cold while on the clock, Numb Nuts."

The two girls noticed that the sun was now pretty close to the horizon. Weiss stated, "It looks like it'll be getting dark soon. We should probably head back now."

Ruby nodded. "You're probably right." With that, the two girls left, heading back home to Beacon.

* * *

When they finally got back to the dorms, Ruby stopped Weiss right outside of their team's dorm. "I've had a really fun time with you, Weiss."

"Me too. I'm actually kinda surprised you came up with an idea like ice skating."

Ruby blushed. "Actually, it was Nora's idea. I couldn't come up with any ideas for a first date, so I had to employ a little bit of help from Yang, and she brought in Nora."

"Well, regardless, I still had a good time, Ruby."

"I'm glad to hear that. Hey, Weiss…"

"Yes?"

Ruby wanted to do nothing right now but give Weiss a kiss on the lips, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't make her body cooperate. Giving up, she said, "Nothing. Never mind." She opened up the door to their dorm room and started heading in, but Weiss wasn't following. "Aren't you coming in, Weiss?"

Weiss shook her head. "Nah. I think I'll just hang out here for a couple of minutes."

"Alright… Just don't stay out too long."

With the door closed, Weiss sighed, pressed her back against the wall, and dropped down. She heard the very same door open and close; Yang had come out of the dorm. She asked, sitting down next to the heiress, "So Weiss, how did the date go between you and Ruby?"

Weiss replied, "It went great. It was really fun, granted I fell flat on my face against some ice a few times, but still fun." Yang laughed mentally, wishing she could've seen the sight of the heiress falling. "However…" Weiss trailed off.

"However?"

Weiss didn't want to finish off the sentence. She hesitated for a minute before replying, "I felt no feelings that could be described as love towards Ruby…"

Yang was disappointed to hear that but was not at all surprised. "So what do you think that means?"

Weiss shrugged. "I don't know. What do you think, Yang?"

"I honestly think it's still too early to tell. You're still unsure about whether or not you could possibly have feelings towards Ruby, or even another girl for that matter. I think if you keep dating Ruby a little while longer, the truth will be revealed."

Weiss processed what Yang just said. "I suppose you're right. I'm just afraid I might break her heart in the end."

"Well, if things don't work out, then they don't work out. There's no point in worrying about it. Besides, life isn't always fair; heartbreak might be one of the hardships that Ruby has to learn to deal with."

"You're just brutally honest as always, Yang."

Yang smirked and gave a thumb up. "Even if her heart is broken, at least I'll be there to help cheer her up."

Weiss smiled. "That dolt's lucky to have a caring sister like you." She stood up and helped the blonde get back up as well. "Come on. Let's go inside. It's a little chilly out here."


	4. Unfortunate News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby receives some heart-breaking news.

Ruby entered RWBY's dorm room, returning from her first date with Weiss. After Ruby had closed the door to the dorm, her blonde haired sister, who was sitting on her bed, asked, "Hey, Rubes, how was your first date with the Ice Queen?"

Sitting on Weiss' bed, smiling, the red head replied, "It went great."

"So, where is Weiss?"

"Oh, she's right outside."

"I see…" Yang hopped down from her bed and walked out.

Ruby, a little curious and what Yang was up to, went up to the door and placed her ear against it. Blake, removing her attention from the book she was reading, asked, "Ruby, what are you doing?" She was shushed by her team leader and merely went back to reading her book. Ruby could barely hear that Yang and Weiss were talking about their date. Grabbing a nearby glass, she placed it against the door and her ear against the glass.

She heard Weiss' voice say, "It was great. It was really fun, granted I fell flat on my face against some ice a few times, but still fun." Ruby quietly laughed at the memory of Weiss falling down while ice skating; however she mostly felt happy that her girlfriend had a good time with her. "However…" The young girl felt her own heart stop as her entire body froze. However what?

"However?" asked the voice that belonged to Yang.

She didn't hear an immediate answer. Was Weiss to ashamed or embarrassed to answer? Finally, the answer did come. "I felt no feelings that could be described as love towards Ruby…" She felt like she was stabbed in the heart. A part of her wanted to hop onto her bed to quietly sulk, but another stronger part kept her at the door and continued to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"So what do you think that means?" Yeah. What does that mean?

"I don't know. What do you think, Yang?"

"I honestly think it's still too early to tell. You're still unsure about whether or not you could possibly have feelings towards Ruby, or even another girl for that matter. I think if you keep dating Ruby a little while longer, the truth will be revealed."

Ruby detached her ear from the glass and the glass from the door. Jumping up to and lying down on her bed, she thought about the conversation she just heard. Yang did have a point; it's still too early to determine whether or not that Weiss could develop feelings for her. She was determined not to let the fact that Weiss still doesn't feel love for her get her down. She was going to continue dating her friend, doing her best to show her a great time, and hope, that along the way, feelings will start to develop.

* * *

A few weeks have gone by since Ruby and Weiss' first date, and the two have gone on more dates during the time. Ruby had tried many different things, such as going out for a lovely dinner, bowling, seeing an opera since Weiss is into that kind of sophisticated stuff, as well as a few other activities. Sometimes that just went out to a nice and quiet area, like a park, just to talk with each other. She wonders if the heiress has developed any feelings for her during the time they spent together. Ruby hoped that she has, but the unfortunate answer is no. Weiss still doesn't see Ruby that way, and Yang, as far as Weiss knew, was currently the only one who knows that.

The blonde and the ivory haired girl sat atop of the building that housed all of the students' dorms. Yang asked, "So… still nothing?"

Weiss shook her head. "No. Nothing…"

The two sat in silence for a few minutes before Yang questioned, "So, what are you going to do now?" She didn't get an immediate response. In fact, the brawler noticed that the heiress looked a little too scared to answer as all color has drained from her face. "Don't worry about the answer, Weiss. Remember what I said? If you break up with her because you can't return her feelings, I won't hold it against you. I feel like I already know the answer, but I still want to hear it for myself. So, what are you going to do?"

Weiss gritted her teeth. She knew the answer too, but at the same time she didn't want to admit it. "I'm afraid," she said a little shaky, "I'm going to have to break up with Ruby. At this point, it isn't looking like I'll develop feelings for her, and I don't want to keep stringing her along, giving her false hope." Weiss pulled her knees up closer to her, wishing she didn't have to break her leader's heart like she's going to. "I'm going to do it later today."

"I see." The blonde wrapped her arm around her friend and pulled her close. "While I respect your decision, I still find it upsetting. I don't want to see Ruby have her heart broken, but this is only for the best." She looked over at Weiss. Yang could clearly see the mixed emotions Weiss was feeling in her crystal blue eyes. "However, I can see how much you still care for Ruby, so at least she'll still have you as her best friend."

Before the two girls could continue on talking, the felt a presence hovering over them. They turned around to find the monkey faunus, Sun Wukong, standing behind them with a huge smile on his face. He greeted, "Hey, what's up, you two?"

Yang asked, "Sun, what are you doing here?"

Sitting down next to them, he replied, "Well, I was looking for your dorm because I was wanting to hang out with Blake, but I got lost and ended up here and saw you two. So what were you talking about?"

"It's none of your business, you fau… I mean, Sun." Weiss had to hold herself back from being discriminatory towards the blonde monkey boy.

"Still having a tough time accepting me?" he asked, honestly feeling a little upset but not letting it show.

"I apologize. I grew up living in fear of the faunus from the White Fang because of them constantly trying to attack our family. While I know that not all faunus are like that, I'm still finding it hard to get over those feelings, but I'm trying my best."

"I see." He looked at the two of them curiously. He really wants to know what their previous conversation was about "So, you're not going to tell me what you two were talking about?"

"Like I said, it's none of your business!" Weiss snapped. She got up and entered the building, leaving the two blondes behind.

"What's her problem?" asked Sun.

Yang waved it off. "Don't worry about her, Sun. She's just upset about the topic we were discussing just a minute ago."

"What were you talking about?! Please tell me!" pleaded Sun.

Yang just pats him on the shoulder. "I'm sorry, Sun. But that is a story for another time."

"Aww, come on!"

The two of them stood up. "Come on. I'll help you find Blake." They then entered the building.

* * *

Yang and Sun entered the RWBY's dorm. Blake was sitting on her bed, reading a book. The monkey faunus approached her, saying, "Hey, Blake."

Looking up from her book, the cat faunus smiled. "Hey, Sun. What brings you here?"

Shrugging, he sat down next to Blake. "With my team still in Haven, I got a little lonely, so I thought I'd come by to see what you were up to."

"Well, I don't know if I'll be of much entertainment for you. I'm reading a really good book here." She closed the book to show him the cover of it.

"Oh, really? What's it about?" Sun asked with some interest.

As the two faunus continued their conversation, Yang looked around and noticed that neither Ruby nor Weiss were in the room. She asked, "Hey, Blake. Do you know where Ruby and Weiss are?"

Blake, taking her attention away from her friend and her book replied, "She came in here a few minutes ago to take Ruby to Vale. Is everything alright? I don't think Ruby noticed, but Weiss seemed upset about something."

"Did she?" Yang looked a little saddened which didn't go unnoticed by Blake. She was going to do it now, was she? "I'm so sorry, Ruby," thought Yang. She opened up the door. "I'm going out for a walk. You two lovebirds have fun by yourselves." Both Sun and Blake blushed, but they didn't say anything to deny the blonde girl's claim. Yang chuckled as she left.

Once she had calmed down, Blake said solemnly. "Oh, poor Ruby…"

Sun, clueless to what his friend was talking about, asked, "What about Ruby?"

"As you know, Ruby and Weiss has been dating for a while now, but from what I've been told, Weiss still doesn't feel any romantic feelings towards Ruby." Weiss believed that only Yang knew that fact because she didn't tell anyone else, but what she didn't count on was the fact that Yang tells her partner pretty much everything. "I'm getting the feeling that Weiss is about to break up with her."

Sun thought about what Blake just said; he put his hands behind his head and lied down. "You say that, but I think that things will work out with them eventually."

She raised an eyebrow. Discussing other peoples' relationship wasn't really her thing, but she couldn't really hold back when it came to Ruby. "What would make you think that?" she asked with interests.

He smirked. "Let's just say it takes an unbiased view from someone you haven't spent every day with for months to see what's really going on.."

* * *

Weiss was dragging Ruby along the market district of Vale. The hooded girl had no complaints, she loved spending time with Weiss, but she was wondering where she was being taken to. She asked, "Hey, Weiss, where are we going?"

"You'll see, Ruby," replied Weiss.

The two continued on until the heiress brought them to a stop in front of a restaurant. The restaurant was a mix between a bakery and a café. The name was called Tucker's Bakery. Ruby heard of this place, it was well known for all of the baked goods they made, especially cookies. Just standing in front of the store gave her a huge craving for their cookies; she's eaten some of their store brand cookies before, and they were very delectable. She really wanted to try some of their fresh cookies now. She also remember hearing a rumor that the one who started the business wanted to name the bakery after himself, but his name wasn't exactly suitable for a restaurant's name, so they decided to name it after his friend.

Weiss said, "Come on, let's go in."

The two girls entered the restaurant, which had some customers in it, but it wasn't packed. They walked up to the counter, which was made out of glass to display all of their food. There was a guy who appeared to be in his mid-20s, had short blond hair, and he was wearing a blue t-shirt that had a suit design on it. His voice was a little high pitched as he greeted excitedly, "Hello. My name is Caboose," this must be the guy who started the bakery, "What can I get you two nice young ladies today? Do you demand cookies?"

Weiss said, "Actually, I would like some coffee." She turned to face Ruby. "Ruby, you can order all of the cookies you want. My treat."

Ruby gasped, "Are you sure? That could be a lot of money."

Weiss nodded. "Yes, Ruby. Order all that you want."

The redhead could feel drool dripping from her mouth. Banging on the counter, she ordered, "Give me all of the cookies you have!"

"Alright!" He turned to the window that led to the kitchen in the back. "Hey, Church! We need more cookies! We're sold out up here!"

Ruby could hear a voice faintly shout out from the kitchen, "Oh, my god, Caboose! No need to shout! We can hear you just fine! And more cookies coming right up."

Caboose quickly made some coffee for Weiss, and then he gently grabbed all of the cookies in the display case and put them on a plate for Ruby. Ruby couldn't count how many cookies there were, there were so many and the stack was high. Weiss paid for their order and sat down at a table next to the front windows.

Ruby grabbed a cookie, studying it carefully. Slowly bringing it closer to her, she took a bite, chewed and swallowed. She cooed gleefully. "That is the most delicious cookie I have ever tasted. Thank you, Weiss." She proceeded to quickly eating more of her cookies.

"You're welcome, Ruby." Weiss took a sip of her coffee, trying to build up the courage to tell the girl the news she wouldn't want to hear.

"Weiss?" The white haired girl was snapped out of her thoughts. Ruby was leaning over the table to look closely at her. "Are you okay? You look like you have a lot on your mind."

Weiss gulped quietly. Even though the place was nice and cool, she felt warm and she noticed some sweat rolling down the back of her neck. "Actually… um… Ruby."

"Yes, Weiss?" asked Ruby, feeling a little nervous about what her girlfriend might say.

"Come on, Weiss. Just spit it out already!" Her heart was beating so fast; it actually felt like it might explode from out of her chest. Looking up, worried blue eyes met sweet and innocent silver eyes. "Ruby… I'm so sorry, but I'm breaking up with you." Just by looking into her eyes, Weiss could see the instant Ruby's heart broke into two. The heartbroken girl let her head drop. "I'm sorry, Ruby. I care for you deeply, but after all of this time, I still don't feel any romantic feelings towards you."

Ruby sat there in silence, staring at the table. She was fighting hard to not break out crying right now. She tried hard to woo the heiress, but she still failed. Now, all she wanted was to be alone. "I got to go," she said emotionless with a hint of sorrow though as she stood up.

"Wait!" Weiss tried to stop her from leaving, but Ruby had disappeared while leaving a cloud of rose petals in her place. "I'm sorry, Ruby," she said quietly. There was no point in chasing after Ruby, with her semblance Weiss couldn't catch up to her, and at this point much less find her.

Minutes that seemed like hours passed by. The stack of cookies that Ruby had ordered was only half eaten. It was a shame that the younger huntress had ordered all of this, but won't even finish eating the cookies. Weiss grabbed a cookie, examining every aspect of the treat. She took a bite. Ruby was right. For just a cookie, it was extremely delicious. She then started to eat more of the cookies. After a few more, she decided she had enough and pushed the plate away, taking a sip of coffee to wash down the taste of cookies in her mouth.

Deep down, she felt that this decision was for the best, but it still hurt having to break Ruby's heart like that.


	5. A Shattered Rose

Ruby ran across the streets of Vale, not caring where she was going or if anyone was in her way. She just kept on running and running for mile after mile. Upon reaching a beach at the edge of the city, she stopped running and let herself catch her breath. She sat down, bringing her knees up to her chest and pulling her hood over her head; she looked out towards at the ocean. The sun was setting over the horizon; the sky gradually changed from a beautiful orange to dark purple. The most prominent feature of her view was the far off island that she and Yang grew up on.

Ruby tried to cheer herself up by thinking of all of the fun time she had with Yang and her father on that island, but it was futile as those painful words that Weiss said keep popping up in her mind. "Ruby, I'm breaking up with you." Those words echoed in her head, and the more she thought about it, the more her heart would hurt. Finally, she let loose the tears she been holding back, letting go of all of the sorrow she was feeling.

* * *

Weiss stood frozen at the door leading to her dorm. Replaying the scene with Ruby through her mind, she remembered seeing how upset the young girl became when she delivered the dreadful news. Honestly, Weiss was a little scared about entering the dorm; while Yang did say that she respects her decision, she still felt like she might receive some kind of punishment from the blonde girl for hurting her little sister. Sighing, she decided it was better to get it over with now.

She entered the dorm; Blake and Sun were sitting up on the cat faunus' bed but they were both leaning against each other and were fast asleep, and Yang was lying down on her bed looking at something on her scroll. Weiss couldn't help but ask, "How did those two end up asleep like that?"

Yang, closing her scroll and sitting up, shrugged. "Don't ask me," she replied. "I went out for a walk, and when I came back they were asleep like that." As much as she wanted to talk about the two faunus' obvious affection for each other, there was another, more important topic she wanted to speak about. She jumped down from her bed, walking close to the heiress and looking her in the eyes. "So, did you do it? Did you break up with my sister?"

Weiss nodded; Yang could see hints of shame in her eyes. "I did," replied Weiss.

"How did she take it?"

She turned away. She couldn't look Yang in the eyes for when she answers. "Not well. The horrible part, however, was that I could actually see her heart rip apart just by looking in her eyes when I told her. She looked devastated."

"So, where is she now?"

"I don't know. She ran off before I could talk to her some more, and with the speed granted to her by her semblance, there was no way I could keep up with her."

"I see." Yang walked by Weiss and over to the door. Upon opening the door, she was questioned by her teammate on where she was going. She simply replied, "Out," and she left. She was on her way to find Ruby, and she had a pretty good idea on where she would be. She is her big sister after all.

* * *

She drove across Vale on her motorcycle, speeding her way past all of the cars that was in her way and even running the occasional street light; thankfully there were no cops around to pull her over. Yang doesn't care about traffic laws at the moment; she just wants to get to her baby sister as fast as possible. She eventually came to a stop when the cement met sand. Taking off her helmet and letting her hair flow freely, she got off the motorcycle and scanned the entire area.

She found a red hooded figure sitting close to the water looking out towards sea. Yang knew that Ruby would be here. Whenever something happened when they lived on the island, like the two of them getting into a fight or their father getting mad and Ruby would get sad or upset over something she would go out to the beach and observe the ocean for hours on end. The blonde approached her sister, and the closer she got the more she was able to hear quiet sobs.

The hooded girl still hadn't realized that her sister was there when said sister sat down next to her. She was only made aware of her presence when Yang wrapped her arms around her and pulled her into a big, caring hug. Ruby looked up to face her sister. Ruby's face was covered with rivers of tears pouring down her cheeks from her eyes. "Y-Yang?"

It pained Yang to see her sister like this, but she still tried put on a reassuring smile. "Hey, Rubes."

Ruby sobbed a few more times. "S-she broke up with me, Y-Yang."

Yang's smile disappeared. "I know, Ruby. I'm sorry."

Ruby buried her face in the blonde's chest, crying more furiously than she has been. Yang continued to hug her sister tightly while proceeding to rub her back in an attempt to console her. She heard Ruby mutter something, but she couldn't quite make it out. "What was that, Ruby?"

Ruby looked up; silver eyes peered into lilac. Those lilac eyes gave off a sense of comfort and caring that helped the younger girl calm down her crying. "I-I was going to ask her out to the ball that's coming up, you know." Yang felt her sorrow for her sister grow. "I understand why she broke up with me, but I just wish she had waited until after the ball. I've been looking forward to dancing with her then since the first date."

"I'm sorry, Ruby. Is there anything I can do for you?"

She wrapped her arms tightly around her big sister, once again burying her face in her sister's chest, replying, "Just hold onto me until I've let it all out."

"Alright."

Ruby continued to cry, letting out all of her sorrow. The two of them sat for a while, embracing each other closely. Eventually, the heartbroken girl went from bawling to an occasional sobbing. The blonde ran her hand through the redhead's hair. "Ruby? Are you better?" she asked.

"N-no," replied Ruby. "I just can't cry anymore right now."

Yang continued running her hand through her sister's hair as Ruby's sobbing became less and less frequent. "Would you like to go home now?"

Ruby sat there, silently, or as silent she could get while sobbing, for a minute before finally saying, "Yes."

Yang helped got both of them to stand up. "Alright then, let's go."

The sisters walked along with their hands holding onto each other on their way back home at Beacon.

The two of them made it back to their dorm. Blake was tucked up in her bed, sleeping peacefully. Weiss, on the other hand, wasn't even covered up and she was still wearing her day clothes. She must've tried waiting for Ruby to get back so she could talk to her but ended up falling asleep as she waited.

Ruby, who had already and quickly changed into her pajamas, stood beside Weiss' bed, staring at the sleeping heiress. She said quietly to no one in particular, "This is just me being selfish now." She leaned over and kissed Weiss on the cheek. "Not exactly a proper kiss, but I've been wanting to kiss her for a long time now." She then hopped up onto her bed and covered herself up. "Good night, Yang."

"Good night, Ruby," replied Yang, now dressed in her pajamas. She was about to get up onto her bed, but something caught her attention. Even though the darkness of night made it hard to see, she could've sworn that through the corner of her eye that she saw Weiss smiling happily after receiving the kiss. She went for a closer look, but no evidence of such a smile remained. It must've been her imagination she thought, and she jumped up on her bed and instantly crashed.

* * *

A few days later; Team RWBY were eating lunch in the cafeteria with Blake and Yang sitting in between Ruby and Weiss. The atmosphere around them was tense. The faunus in the blonde didn't like sitting in between the two other girls, Weiss didn't know what to say to Ruby, and said girl had nothing to say. Ruby's face showed no emotion, but her eyes betrayed her; one could clearly see sadness in them.

Yang, trying to break the tension, stated, "The next semester will be starting tomorrow." Nora tossed a grape at the blonde which she caught with her mouth. Swallowing the grape, she continued, "Are you guys ready?"

Blake replied, "Yes, I am."

Weiss remarked, "Of course," trying to act like her regular self.

Ruby didn't respond. Yang turned to Ruby, about to ask her something, but she was stopped when an apple hit her head. She growled at the overly energetic girl before focusing her attention back to Ruby. "Hey, Rubes, is there anything you would like to do before classes start up tomorrow."

Ruby, who was playing with her food with her fork, said, "Not really."

Weiss said, "Ruby…"

She was cutoff however when Nora pied her on the face. Ruby, Blake, Yang, and JNPR all stared in shock. If the pie had hit Ruby or Blake, they would have laughed it off, or if it had hit Yang, there would only been an angry blonde shouting at them. Hit the Schnee heiress in the face with a pie, however, was a fatal mistake. Everyone who saw the scene knew what has happened: sh*t has hit the fan, thus beginning a highly destructive food fight never before seen in history of man.

* * *

Sun Wukong was talking with his friend, Neptune Vasilias, who had finally made it in from Haven. The monkey man was telling his goggle-wearing friend about the friends he made at Beacon; he also may have accidentally revealed the secret fact that one Blake Belladonna may or may not secretly be a faunus, but he made his friend swear to secrecy and not tell another soul. As they walked along, they failed to see the massive food fight occurring inside of the building, and poor Jauney boy crashing into the window. He also told Neptune how Ruby and Weiss has been dating but that they recently broke up. Sun said, "Anyway, I really like these guys, so just try to be cool. You can be cool, right?"

Neptune responded, "Dude, look at me," while striking a cool pose while showing his white shiny teeth.

"Good point."

The two of them entered the room to finally see the spectacle of a food fight. Sun merely watched in amazement while Neptune was wondering what the hell is going on. A few members of team RWBY were currently in an all-out food war with team JNPR. Neptune asked, "What the hell is going on here?"

"Nora hit Weiss in the face with a pie," responded a feminine voice. Ruby wasn't participating in the fight and was merely observing at the same spot the two of them were.

Sun grimaced. "Now I can see why all hell broke loose in here."

Neptune questioned, "Whose Weiss?"

"The white haired girl with the huge ponytail on the right side."

"Oh." The blue haired guy scanned the area and found Weiss splashing ketchup on the floor to make Pyrrha slip. "She looks kinda hot."

"Dude!" Sun snapped. "She's the one that Ruby here was dating until recently."

"Oh…

Ruby shrugged. "Eh, don't worry about it. I'm not dating her anymore. If you want to make a move on her, go ahead."

"Oh, by the way, Ruby, this is Neptune; Neptune , this is Ruby."

"Nice to meet you, Ruby," greeted Neptune.

"Nice to meet you too, Neptune," responded Ruby.

Sun asked, "So, why aren't you participating in the food war with your team, Ruby?"

Ruby watched Yang get hit by Nora with a watermelon on a pole and was sent flying through the ceiling. "I didn't really feel like joining them," she replied.

"Are you still depressed about the break up?"

She looked him in the eyes; he could tell the hurt she was feeling in her silver orbs. She said sadly, "It's not easy dealing with heartbreak, Sun."

"Sorry, Ruby."

"It's fine."

They went back to watching the food fight. All of the food they were splattering flew at the three bystanders; all of it miraculously missing Sun, Ruby dodged all that came at her, and Neptune ended up covered completely from the waist up with the splattered food. Eventually, the food fight ended with Yang, Blake, and Weiss victorious, JNPR lying on the ground covered in food, and the poor, impartial Neptune covered in food as well.

Sun said, "I love these guys." Neptune didn't look too impressed.

It was at that point that Glynda Goodwitch marched into the cafeteria with a face so furious that would make an Ursa cower in fear. Whipping her wand around, she repaired all of the damages done to the cafeteria. "Children, don't play with your food," she scolded. Then Yang finally fell back in through the roof. The teacher sighed as she fixed that up quickly as well.

Team RWBY, with the exception of their leader, started laughing at what had just occurred while Ozpin tried to calm Goodwitch down. Ruby turned around and started walking out. After Sun had asked her where she was going, she said that she wanted to go back to her dorm and hopefully have some alone time.

Neptune asked, "She's not usually this dreary, is she?"

Sun shook his head. "No, she used to be the cheeriest of her team. She only started to act like that after Weiss broke up with her."

Weiss stopped laughing when she noticed her team leader leaving the room, obviously still hurt and sad. She felt overwhelmed with guilt for what she had done to Ruby. They haven't talked much over the past few days; in fact she thinks that Ruby has even been avoiding her. She won't even look her in the eyes when they are together. Weiss wanted to go to her and try to console her and get her back to her usual cheery self, but at the same time she felt that anything she might do would only make the girl feel worse.

She was distracted, however, when she saw the guy with blue hair walking towards her. She felt her heartbeat increase rapidly. He smiled, saying, "Hello, Ice Queen."

Her heartbeat returned to normal as she said annoyed, "Why does everyone keep calling me that? The name is Weiss Schnee."

"Nice to meet you, Weiss. I'm Neptune."

Meanwhile, Ruby was walking by the windows, and she saw Weiss talking to Neptune. The heiress also seemed to be a bit excited to talk with him; in fact, she could see a little bit of a blush on her face. Ruby increased the speed of her walking and went to the locker room. She grabbed her Crescent Rose and went to training area of the school. Thankfully, they had a simulation room, and, hopefully, killing fake Grimm might be something that can help her take her mind off of things for a while.


	6. Great Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby seeks comfort with Team JNPR.

The shattered moon of Remnant rose up into the sky as darkness descended over Beacon academy. Ruby walked across the hallway of the dorm building; her hair was a little wet. She spent practically the whole day in the training room, and immediately after she decided to stop she took a shower in the locker room. Upon approaching the dorm room for team RWBY, the young girl could hear voices having conversations within the room.

She put her hand on the doorknob, but hesitated to go in. She listened in, and she was able to hear Weiss' enthusiastic voice interact with the flirty but charming voice that belonged to Neptune. Ruby's heart rate increased, and she couldn't muster the strength to turn the doorknob. She knows that she gave the go-ahead for Neptune to make a move on Weiss, but she really wished he hadn't. She didn't want to go in there and see her ex-girlfriend flirt with someone else.

In fact, she felt like avoiding Weiss altogether for now. Releasing her grip on the doorknob, she approached the door across the hall from her dorm. Slowly raising her hand, she knocked on the door of Team JNPR. Pyrrha Nikos was the one to open up. Giving her a kind-hearted smile, the taller girl greeted, "Hello, Ruby. What brings you here?"

Ruby greeted, "Hey, Pyrrha. I don't mean to intrude or anything, but would it be alright if I were to stay with you guys for a while."

Nora asked enthusiastically in the background, "Oooh, is Ruby going to have a sleepover with us?!"

Pyrrha looked concerned for a second, but quickly put a smiling face back on. "Of course, Ruby." The older girl placed a hand on the younger's shoulder and led her inside. The rest of Team JNPR gave her kind greetings. "If you don't mind my asking, but why is it that you want to stay with us?"

Ruby sat down in a chair. It felt good to finally sit down. She has done nothing but swing her Crescent Rose around at simulation grim for hours on end; her entire body was tired. Sighing with relief to finally get to sit down, she said, "I just have to get away from Weiss for a while. Hopefully some time away from her will help me get over her."

Every member of JNPR all exchanged concerned looks. They all had heard about Ruby's breakup with Weiss, and they knew the young girl was taking the ordeal pretty hard. Right now, they want to help her anyway they can. "Well, you can stay with us for as long as you need to. And you can sleep in my bed with me while you're here."

"Oh, there's no need for…"

"Ruby, I'm not letting my friend and guest sleep on a floor or in a chair."

"Alright. Thanks Pyrrha."

"What about your night clothes?" the taller girl inquired.

Ruby replied, "They're over at my dorm, but I don't want to go over there right now to get them."

Nora got up quickly and brought over a t-shirt that says "BOOP" and a pair of pink shorts. "You can borrow these, Ruby! I'm sure they'll fit you just fine!"

Ruby grabbed the clothes that her friend offered her. "Thank you, Nora." Everyone in the room then heard a stomach growling. The little redhead chuckled. "I ended up training straight through dinner time."

Ren spoke up. "I can cook you something right now. Anything special you would like, Ruby?"

"Ren is a great cook," claimed Nora.

"Alright. How about some hamburgers?"

Ren grabbed a chef hat out of nowhere and placed it on his head. "Coming right up!"

Jaune said, "Ruby, I bought the first season dvd of 'X-Ray and Vav' today. Would you like to watch it?"

Ruby gave a small smile. "Sure," she replied. Team JNPR were happy to see the smile on the younger girl, even if was just a small one. They knew that already, she was starting to feel better, this is the first time she's smiled since the breakup, and they were glad that they're able to help.

Jaune placed the dvd into the dvd player and sat down on his bed, while Pyrrha and Nora sat cuddled up with Ruby on the former's bed. The four of them watched the show as Ren cooked some food for Ruby. The leader of Team RWBY was glad to have great friends like them.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Team RWBY's dorm. Weiss and Neptune were still talking with each other. Yang had fallen asleep in her bed. Blake and Sun were watching Neptune interact with Weiss.

The cat faunus quietly asked the monkey faunus, "Do you still think that Ruby might still end up with Weiss? To me, it's looking like Weiss has really hit it off with Neptune."

The blonde male quietly replied, "True. Neptune is a cool guy, but all he really has going for him is his looks. He's too much of a ladies man. Right now, she's mostly just swooning over his good looks. That'll wear off sooner or later. I don't anticipate a relationship lasting long between the two of them."

"You got a point, though."

"However, this sight is kinda irritating me though."

"Why? Don't tell me you have a crush on Neptune," teased Blake.

"Oh, hell no," Sun almost yelled that out.

"I'm irritated that Neptune, who already met Ruby and seen how crushed she was and still made a move on Weiss. If anything, he should've waited for Ruby to start getting over the break up so that it wouldn't hurt so much to see her ex-girlfriend with someone else. I'm also irritated that Weiss seems to have completely forgotten about Ruby."

Blake glared at the talkative duo across the room from them who don't seem to notice the cat faunus' glare. "Yeah, that is a bit irritating. However, if we want things to play out smoothly, we probably shouldn't say anything to them for now."

"You got a point."

Blake looked at the clock. It was pretty late. "I wonder where Ruby is."

"I wouldn't worry about her. With that big scythe of hers, I don't think anyone would want to mess with her."

* * *

Ruby and everyone from Team JNPR were all in bed, with Ruby in bed with Pyrrha. The older girl was still awake, but the younger girl was asleep and cuddled up with her. Ren and Nora were asleep as well, but Jaune was still awake and watching his partner run her hand through Ruby's hair.

He chuckled. "You look like a mother taking care of her daughter, Pyrrha," he stated quietly as to not awake the sleeping Ruby.

The tall redhead replied, "Well, with how depressed she's been feeling, combined with the fact that she is incredibly cute, she kinda spurs on my maternal instincts and I just want to take care of her. I could tell that she's already starting to feel better just a little. I'm just glad we were able to help. She's still young, however, and is going through her first heartbreak. It'll probably be a while before she can move on from this." She was giving off a huge smile.

"I'd bet you'd make a great mother."

She chuckled. "I guess it runs in the family. My mom was a very caring and compassionate person as well. She was always there for me when I was having a hard time."

"Well, good night, Pyrrha."

"Good night, Jaune.

Wrapping her arms around the younger girl, Pyrrha closed her eyes to start drifting off to sleep. She quietly whispered, "Good night, Ruby."


	7. I Miss You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You never know what you had until you lose it.

Yang was the first one to wake up that morning. Letting out an enormous yawn, she noticed that her sister has let her sleep in. Maybe Ruby was still asleep. "Hey, Rubes, it's time to get up," she said sheepishly, tossing a pillow at the other upper bunk. No response was given from her younger sister. "Ruby?" Yang looked at the bed of the girl in question; she was not there. In fact, the bed was left undisturbed from last night.

Hopping off of her bed, the blonde nudged her brunette teammate. The cat faunus woke up, slightly annoyed. "Yang, what is it?" she asked with a bit of venom in her voice. She doesn't like to be woken from her nap.

"Blake, did you see Ruby come in at all?"

All sense off annoyance drained away from the faunus, scanning her memories. She had no recollection of the team leader ever returning last night. "No. Why?"

"She's not asleep in her bed, and she always wakes us up with that damned whistle whenever she wakes up before any of us."

"What's going on?" asked a groggy Weiss who had just woken up as well. She also muttered, "I am so glad not to hear that blasted whistle."

"Ruby didn't come home last night," replied Yang.

"What?!"

The heiress examined the bed that hung dangerously by a few ropes above her own. Yang was right; Ruby had not come back last night. The bedsheets and blanket were still nice and tidy. There's no way her partner would make up her bed after waking up.

"What has she been up too?"

The three girls were starting to worry about the wellbeing of their leader who had not returned that night. Their worries were, however, immediately put to rest as Ruby entered the dorm room, rubbing her eyes and sheepishly greeting, "Morning, everyone." She was still wearing the clothes that Nora had loaned her, and she was carrying her regular clothes.

"You, dunce! Where have you been?!" asked Weiss.

"And where did you get those clothes?" added Yang.

Ruby looked at Weiss; her heart still ached whenever she looked at her partner, her ex-girlfriend. "Nora loaned me these clothes last night. I spent the night over at Team JNPR's dorm. I'll also be staying with them for a while." Everyone was surprised by the news.

"Why is that, Rubes?"

Ruby headed over to the bathroom attached to their dorm room. "I just need to get away from all of this for a while. That's all."

Weiss said, "Ruby, I–"

"Weiss, you don't need to say anything," Ruby interrupted. "I understand, but if I see you constantly, it will only make it harder for me to move on because I'll keep on thinking about our breakup and all of the bad thoughts. I need some time away to make it easier to move on." Her teammates all knew there was truth to what she was saying, and they all agreed that this is probably the best way for her to move on. "Now, get ready. Classes start in an hour."

* * *

Weiss knew that Ruby was serious about keeping her distance from her. Her partner was sitting on the complete opposite side of the classroom next to Pyrrha. The green-eyed redhead was helping the younger girl with her assignment. As the two girls worked, Weiss noticed that her partner was faintly smiling. That's the first time she's seen a genuine smile from Ruby since their breakup.

Weiss completely understands why Ruby decided to keep her distance, but at the same time, she was saddened. The dunce is her best friend, and despite her quirky traits, she still wanted to spend time with her. Sighing, she returned to her work. At least her partner is finally starting to feel better.

"So, do you want to go to the dance with me?" a male student asked a female.

The girl chuckled. "Sure. I'd love to."

The heiress overheard the conversation. She had forgotten that the ball is coming up soon. She would like to go with Neptune, however she'll wait for him to ask her. She might just ask him, though, if he doesn't ask soon enough. Now that she thought about it, was Ruby going to ask her to the dance back when they were dating? Probably.

Weiss felt a sudden wave of guilt wash over her. It suddenly didn't feel right going to the dance with someone else. It's barely been a week since their break up. She shrugged off the guilt. Everyone has to move on at some point. As much as she cared for Ruby, she can't just wait for her to move on. Dust knows how long that would take.

She tried to focus her attention back on her assignment, but one last question kept crawling into her head. What will Ruby do about the dance?"

* * *

A few days later after class, Ruby roamed across Beacon's yards, eventually ending up at the cliff overlooking Vale. Observing the ocean sway with the breeze felt tranquil. Even though being away from Weiss has helped her from constantly dwelling on it, and she is starting to move on, but there is still a part of her that yearns to be with her white-haired partner. She shook her head. She needs to get over these thoughts.

"Hey, Ruby," called out a voice from behind.

Ruby turned around, finding Pyrrha and Nora walking up to her. "Hey, Pyrrha. Hey, Nora. What's up?"

Nora answered, "I got tickets for an early showing of 'Red vs Blue 13: Chorus vs Charon' tomorrow. I was wondering if you wanted to go with us. We could do some other stuff afterwards. A girls' day out."

"It would just be the three of us?" the hooded girl questioned.

Pyrrha replied, "We were just thinking that it would be a lot of fun if us girls just get out and hang out alone for once without the boys around.."

A small smile appeared on Ruby's face. "Sure. I'd like that."

Nora said, "Great! It's a date! Well, not really a 'date' date… You know what I mean!" The two redheads laughed at Nora's rambling. The ladies of JNPR really know how to cheer the young girl up. Ruby was happy to have friends like them.

The three of them began to walk back to the dorms. Upon entering the dorms' building, they took notice of the bulletin board in the lobby, looking for any news updates. Tacked ip in the middle of the board was a flyer advertising about the upcoming ball in a couple of weeks. Nora made a comment about how her and Ren will be the best couple at the ball, and she was quickly hushed by Pyrrha. They looked at Ruby; her happy face was once again replaced by one of melancholy. Nora mentally cursed at herself.

Team RWBY's leader started walking off. "I'm going to go study," she proclaimed.

Pyrrha said, "That girl's going through a real emotional rollercoasters. We can cheer her up and make her happy one minute, and the next she's reminded of Weiss and is depressed again."

"Rollercoasters are fun," said Nora quietly.

"Not this one, Nora."

Silence.

"I know. But still, she's starting to smile more often."

* * *

Ruby was reading a textbook for one of her various classes. She started studying more often because she wanted to Weiss to be proud of her. Meanwhile, Team JNPR were by their beds talking quietly enough to where their guest couldn't hear them.

Pyrrha stated, "Ruby appeared all happy until we saw the poster reminding the students about the upcoming dance."

Ren said, "Well, if we could get her a date to the ball, it could possibly help her get out of this break-up depression she's going through."

"You think that'll work?"

Nora replied, "Yeah! I think it will."

Ren added, "This would technically be a date. If the date goes well, and Ruby has fun at the dance, it could push through the lesson of 'there are plenty of fish in the sea' and she'll feel ready to move on."

The amazon nodded. "That might work."

Jaune stood up, saying, "Alright then."

The blond walked over to the 15 year old, determined to help his friend. Leaning on the table, he said with a suave voice, "So, Ruby. As you know, the dance is coming up next weekend, and I was wondering if you would like to go to the dance with me."

Ruby looked at Jaune quizzically, and Pyrrha face-palmed. Ruby asked, "Uh, Jaune, you do know I'm gay, right? You did see me date Weiss for a couple of weeks, didn't you?"

Jaune's determination quickly drained away. "I-I know, but I thought that she was a special case. After all, she didn't find herself gay but she still dated you because she cares about you," he said timidly.

"Well, Weiss is special to me, but I've always been into girls. I'm sorry, Jaune, but your not someone that I see myself going to the dance with."

"How about you go with me then," Pyrrha blurted out.

Everyone looked at Pyrrha with shock.

"W-what was that, Pyrrha?" Asked Ruby unsure of whether or not she heard her friend right.

Pyrrha had many different thoughts running through her mind. Ruby isn't the one she was interested in; it was that dense blond. She doesn't even feel an attraction towards girls. And yet, she wants to help Ruby Rose, her broken-hearted friend. She'll do anything to help her, even if that meant taking her out on a date herself.

Pyrrha said, "How about you go to the dance with me, Ruby?"

Little Red couldn't figure out what to make of this situation. "I-I don't know, Pyrrha…" she stuttered.

"Ruby, I'm not suggesting that you and I should become an actual couple," Pyrrha walked up to Ruby, "but let me have that one night to show you a good time." With one hand, she grabbed the shorter girl's hand and wrapped the other around her waist, pulling her close. "I want to show you that even without Weiss, it's not the end of the world." Jaune, Nora, and (secretly) Ren were all very interested in the scene that played out before them. "So, Ruby, will you go to the dance with me?"

Ruby stared into Pyrrha's green eyes, thinking about the words she just said to her. Well, what dod she have to lose?

Smiling, she nodded. "Yes, Pyrrha. I'll love to go to the dance with you."

* * *

Weiss was working on her homework. The teams dorm room was completely quiet. Blake always spend her time reading, and Yang has been quite docile without her little sister here to help stir up trouble. Her leg started shaking. She was suddenly craving the excitement her partner had brought to this little dorm. Hell, she missed Ruby!

The heiress got up and exited into the hallway, closing the door behind her. Upon approaching Team JNPR's door, she raised her hand but couldn't bring herself to knock on the door. What couldn't think of what to say to Ruby, at least not without making it awkward. After a minute, she dropped her hand. She said quietly, "I miss you, Ruby," and returned to her room.

You never know what you had until you lose it.


	8. Girls' Day Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby, Pyrrha, and Nora hang out in Vale.

Ruby entered the dorm for her own team for the first time in days. The only one in there was Blake. "Hey, Blake," greeted the young girl.

"Hey, Ruby," the faunus greeted back. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing good. I'm heading to Vale to hang out with Pyrrha and Nora. I just came here to grab some regular clothes." The girl spoke with enthusiasm as she grabbed clothes from the closet. Blake made a note on how Ruby doesn't appear to be as depressed as she has been. Living with JNPR has been helping. Ruby entered the bathroom to start changing. "So, where are Weiss and Yang?" she asked through the wall.

Blake turned a page in the book she was reading. "Yang went to hang out with some of her old friends from Signal, saying something that she's not spending as much time with them as she would've like. As for Weiss: I have no idea. She's been acting strange since last night."

"Strange how?"

"Well, she left the dorm for a minute, but when she came back she just set aside her homework and went straight to sleep."

"That is weird. Normally she wants to finish her homework as soon as possible. Any idea what brought that on?"

"I don't know. When Yang asked her if something was wrong, she told her nothing then shrugged her off."

Ruby exited the bathroom. Her outfit consisted of a a black t-shirt that had her rose symbol on it, a red pleated skirt, and black boots that stretched to just below the knees. "We'll. I hope she'll be alright."

"Yeah."

"Well, I'm off. See ya, Blake!"

"Have fun, Ruby." The young girl ran out of the room.

Ruby ran up to Beacon's Airstrip where Pyrrha and Nora were currently waiting. Nora was wearing her "BOOP" t-shirt with pink shorts. Pyrrha was wearing a red off-the-shoulder shirt with tight black jeans. It was weird to see everyone in casual clothing, but at the same time, you just got to get out of the usual battle attire.

Nora waved. "Hey, Ruby!"

"Hello," greeted Pyrrha.

"Hey, guys. Are you ready to go?"

The two older girls said "Yes," and all of them entered an airship.

* * *

The Schnee heiress stood on a balcony overlooking Beacon's cliff; she could see everything from kids mingling with each other to teachers running to and fro. She wasn't really paying attention to anything going on though. Her mind was focused on other things. Specifically between Ruby, Neptune, and herself.

She's certain that she is not in love with Ruby, which is why she broke up with her. She's interested in Neptune; he is an interesting and handsome guy after all. However, she can't get thoughts of Ruby out of her head. She just wants to spend a lot of time with her. That's what it's like to be best friends, right? How should she know. She never had any friends until she met Ruby. She is her best friend. She isn't in love with the Dunce. Right?

Weiss was snapped out of her thoughts when she saw a certain figure on the courtyard below. Speak of the Grimm and they shall appear. The girl she had been so focused on was running towards Beacon's airstrip. Ruby looked happy. At the very least, she seems happier than she's been since their relationship has ended. She must be starting to move on. That's good. Right?

The white haired-girl shook her head. She had to rid herself of these thoughts. Ruby is her best friend. She doesn't love her. She likes Neptune. She wants to go to the dance with Neptune. That's all there is to it. If only it were so simple. Weiss looked just in time to see Ruby get on an airship with Nora and Pyrrha. Closing its doors, the airship hovered into the air then took off towards Vale.

Sighing, Weiss entered the building. Why do things have to be so… confusing?

* * *

It was around noon time; the three girls had exited the theatre. Nora was the first one to comment on the movie. "That movie was incredible!"

The tall red head added, "the movie was pretty good. I have to say though, I think that Sharkface's death was a little anti-climatic."

Ruby said, "I can't really say anything about that. I haven't seen any of the first 10 RvB movies, so I don't know much about their back stories."

The orange hair girl gasped in exaggerated shock. "Is that true, Ruby?"

She nodded. "Yang wouldn't let me watch any of the RVB movies until just a couple of months ago, and even then we only watched the eleventh and twelfth movies because those were the only ones we had on dvd."

Nora grabbed Ruby's should. "Well then, we shall rectify this situation. When we get home, we are going to marathon the first ten seasons. I have them all in a special dvd and blu-ray bundle."

Pyrrha commented, "Trust me, Ruby. If you loved these last three movies, you are going to love the first ten, especially the first five."

"Well, I'm looking forward to watching them."

"Is they're anywhere else you'd like to go to, Ruby?" questioned Nora.

Ruby thought for a moment. "Well, this might sound weird for a girls' day out, but I would like to visit a store that sells weapon parts."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Weapons are incredibly fascinating to me. You two have seen Crescent Rose; I built her from scratch and she is my pride and joy." Ruby made this smitten face that made Nora and Pyrrha stare at her curiously. Snapping out of it, she added, "Anyway, we're all going to need to get a secondary job to help us hold out while we're not doing some hunting mission, and I would like to have my own business that repairs, customize, and create unique weapons upon special order."

Nora said, "Wow, Ruby. You're still pretty young and yet you already know what you want to do with your life; I'm impressed. I don't even know what I would want to do after graduation. What about you, Pyrrha?"

"I'm going to keep entering tournaments after graduation. Competitive blood runs through my veins, so it's the only choice right for me."

"Awesome!"

"Well, enough talk about the future for now. Ruby, you wanted to go to a weapon parts' shop."

The 15 year old's face lit up. "Yeah!" she replied enthusiastically.

"Well then. Let's go."

The group wandered into the crowd of people roaming around Vale, looking around for a good store to visit. Along the way, the two older huntresses were telling younger one about funny stories about things that have happened to them when the were younger, anything to pull out a laugh from the girl. Nora ended up telling one story about an unusual incidence that happened to Ren when they we're in grade school. The story made Ruby laugh so hard that it brought tears to her eyes.

Eventually, after a while of exploration and story telling, they arrived at a weapon's store. Entering the building, the found shelves of weapon parts covering the entire room. The short red-head squealed in delight. Leaving the two girl's behind, she disappeared into the maze of shelves.

Nora stated, "She really is a huge weapon's fanatic, isn't she?"

Pyrrha nodded. "Well, as long as it makes her happy, who are we to judge."

The two of them didn't bother to find Ruby, she'll find them eventually, so in the mean time they just casually browsed what all the store had to offer. They really didn't find anything they'd want to buy; they are perfectly fine with keeping their weapons the way they are. Does Ruby intend to modify her scythe? The way she speaks so fondly of it, you wouldn't think she would.

After some time had passed, Ruby came running up; she didn't have anything, but she was still pleased. Pyrrha asked her if she was going to buy anything. Ruby simply shook her head, saying that she just really wanted to look around and get ideas for what her own place would be like.

Exiting the store, Nora's stomach started growling. She laughed, saying that she guessed that she was a little hungry.

"Wanna go get some lunch?" asked Ruby.

"Yeah!" cheered Nora.

"That would be good. I am a bit hungry too," commented Pyrrha.

"Alright then. Let's find something to eat." They headed off to find a good restaurant for lunch.

* * *

It was close to night time, and Ruby and Nora were expressing their excitement f the day while Pyrrha followed quietly. Arriving at JNPR's door, Ruby said that she'll catch up to them. The others entered the dorm. Ruby wandered across the hall, to Team RWBY's room. Yang and Weiss were probably back by now. Weiss. Thinking about the white haired princess still breaks her heart, but thanks to JNPR she is starting to do better now. However, she doe not know if she can see Weiss without it hurting her some more.

Grabbing the door knob, she entered her team's dorm. Blake was asleep, and she could see a bit of Yang's figure lying down on her bunk, but Weiss was nowhere to be found. Yang sat up, and her face lit up at the sight of her baby sister. "Hey, Rubes! What's up?! Are you moving back in?! Coz I missed you SOOO much!"

Ruby smiled. She pushed the door back, but it didn't completely shut behind her. "Hey, Yang. I don't know when I'll be moving back in yet. I do want your help with something though."

The blonde jumped off of her bed. "Oh yeah? What's that?"

Weiss walked down the hall of the dorm building. She noticed that the door to her team's room sat slightly ajar. The closer she got, the clearer she could her voices speaking from inside.

"I do want to your help with something though." She recognized that voice as Ruby's. It was nice to hear her voice again for the first time in days.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" asked Yang.

"I would like your help finding a dress to wear to the dance." Her leader's voice was timid. Weiss stopped dead right next to the door. Ruby is looking for a dress to the dance? Does that mean she has a date, or is she going alone?

Weiss could hear Yang squeal with excitement. "So does that mean you have a date for the dance?"

"Y-yeah." Weiss felt weird now.

"Aww! Who is it?"

"It's Pyrrha." Stepping back, the heiress turned around and started walking back the way she came. She had many feelings she didn't understand running around inside of her. Her heart even felt... weird, and she doesn't know what to make of it. She tried to figure everything out at first, but eventually all of her thoughts evaporated. Now, she was just wandering around mindlessly.

Meanwhile, in the door, Ruby and Yang continued their conversation. "Pyrrha, huh?" Yang inquired. "I thought she was into Jaune."

"I think she is too," said Ruby. "However, she mainly did ask me out because she wants to help me move on, and we did agree this will be our only date."

Yang pulled out a magazine she was looking through for her own dress. "That's very kind of her. I'll have to give her my signature bear hug the next time I see her."

* * *

Weiss was strolled across the hallways in the campus' main building, looking for someone in particular. After a few minutes of searching, she found him. "Neptune!" she called out, running up to the exchange student.

"Hey, Snow Angel," answered the blue haired teen. "What's up."

The heiress was straining herself to answer. "I-I know this is a bit unorthodox, but I was wondering if you would like to go to the dance with me."

Neptune made a displeased face. "Weiss, you're cool and all, but I am afraid I'm going to have to refuse."

"Why?" she asked, her voice on the verge of breaking. "Why won't you go to the dance with me?"

"It's complicated. Sorry."

Neptune walked off, and when he was out of sight, Weiss dropped against the wall and sat down on the ground.

"Weiss!" Jaune Arc came running up and kneeled down next to Weiss. "I'm sorry, but I overheard you asking Neptune out. Are you alright." The girl confused about her emotions shook her head. The blond didn't know what to say. The two of them sat there for what felt like hours. Eventually, Weiss got up and started walking off. "Hey, Weiss? Where are you going?" No response. "Do you want me to walk you back to your dorm?"

The heiress shook her head. "I just need to be alone right now."

Weiss walked out into the middle of Beacon's courtyard, looking up at the shattered moon dangling in the sky. She felt so many things right now. She missed her best friend who has been avoiding her the past few days. She's hurt that the man she has been interested in just turned her down. Her best friend is moving on and is dating another one of her friends. She's feeling so sad that she wished Ruby was here with her right now more than ever. She doesn't get it. Ruby is the complete opposite of her, and yet that silly child always manages to make her feel good and cheer her up. Finally, she couldn't hold it in anymore and tears started to flow down her cheeks.


	9. Dance Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day of the school dance has arrived.

The days flew by quickly to the students and staff of Beacon Academy, and it was the night of the dance. Ruby was going with Pyrrha, Nora with Ren (obviously), Blake had decided to go with Sun, and Yang and Jaune had decided to go alone. Ruby was over in her team's dorm, getting changed in her dress for the evening. She had on a red, knee-length dress with a pair of stockings and red high heels. She tried to move around, but she keeps slipping over her heels.

"Agh! How does Weiss fight in these things?" she complained. "Pyrrha toes are all going to be dead by the time the dance ends."

Yang laughed. "Oh, don't worry about it, Rubes. You'll get used to them quickly."

She scoffed. "Yeah, right. Stupid lady stilts."

"Well, I'm going to go on ahead. I'm supposed to greet the dancers as they come in. See ya there, Ruby." Yang exited the room.

Ruby looked at herself in the mirror and then at some of the makeup Weiss owns. Should she try some makeup? Maybe not? Neither Yang nor she has ever even attempted to put on makeup before. If anything, she might ended up making herself look unappealing to say the least. After deciding not to touch the really girly stuff, she left the dorm.

Ruby knocked on team JNPR's dorm, and Jaune, who was wearing just a plain suit, answered the door. "Hey, Ruby," he greeted. "Hold on a second. Pyrrha! Ruby's here."

The blond walked back inside and Pyrrha came out in his place. She was wearing a red dress that reached down to her ankles but had an opening around her left leg. She smiled. "Hey, Ruby. Are you ready to go?"

Ruby nodded. "I am if you are."

"Well, let's get going then."

Pyrrha held out her arm, which Ruby then wrapped her arms around, and the two of them walked off. As the two of them walked on, Ruby felt butterflies running through her stomach. She breathed out, trying to relieve some of her tension. Her date chuckled. "Are you nervous, Ruby?"

Ruby put on a slight smile. "A bit. This is my first time going to a dance with someone."

"Don't be nervous, Ruby. We're going to the dance to have fun. Just be yourself."

Ruby's face turned a light shade of red. "A-alright, Pyrrha."

The two of them arrived at the dance hall. When they entered through the front doors, they weren't greeted by a Yang, but rather by a flash. The blonde then came up holding out her phone, squealing, "Oh my dust, you two are so cute!"

"Yang, did you have to do that?!" complained Ruby.

"I'm sorry, Ruby, but this is your first date to a dance; I had no choice." Yang pulled up the photo on her phone and showed it to the two girls in front of her. "Besides, look at it. You two are so cute in it!"

Both of the faces of the red-head became a shade that matched the color of their hair. "YANG!"

The blonde waved her hands. "I'm sorry. I'll stop pestering you two. Enjoy the dance."

"Thank you."

Ruby and Pyrrha started to head in, but the older girl was stopped by Yang grabbing her arm. She was about to ask what was up, however Yang gave her a kind-hearted smile and said quietly to her, "Thank you for taking care of my baby sister."

Pyrrha was surprised at first, but merely smiled back. "Hey, what are friends for?" she replied. Yang let go of her arm, and Pyrrha caught back up to Ruby. The young girl asked what that was about, but her date just dismissed it.

Weiss Schnee was the next to enter the ball room. Her teammate looked at her with genuine shock. "Hey, Weiss," she greeted. "How are you doing?"

It was no secret that Weiss's mood has been going downhill these past few days. She became more distant and wouldn't respond to anyone. Yang was honestly surprised to see the ice queen come to the dance, especially since she doesn't have a date. "I'm fine," she lied. "I just didn't want to be alone in the dorm room tonight."

Yang approached her friend and pulled her into her trademarked bear hug. "You know, if you ever need to talk to someone, I'm always around. We are friends, after all."

Weiss smiled faintly. "Thanks, Yang. That means a lot. Really, it does."

"No problem." The blond smacked the white-haired girl in the bottom, prompting her to go inside. "Now go in there and have some fun."

Weiss' face turned red, and she shouted her teammate's name. Yang merely grinned and gave a thumb's up. Weiss glared at her and walked further into the building.

* * *

Everyone had finally arrived at the dance, and those who had partners were all out on the dance floor. Ruby had one hand resting on Pyrrha's waist while the other was holding onto said girl's other hand. The taller girl led the shorter around the dance floor with a classic dance. The two of them circled each other as they avoided running into any other couple. Pyrrha was doing her best to teach Ruby how to dance; there was an occasional slip up every now and then which resulted in the current soreness around Pyrrha's toes.

The more they danced, the more Ruby was started to become accustomed to the motion. Eventually, she was making no mistakes in the movement of her feet, even with the high heel shoes on. Pyrrha commented on her date's improvement. "Wow, Ruby. I'm impressed. You've caught on pretty quickly."

Ruby turned light red again. "Thanks, Pyrrha."

Weiss watched the two of them dancing from one of the seats next to the wall. She didn't realize it, but she had a slight smile on her face. Despite that, deep down in her heart, she felt a bit jealous. Weiss shook her head. A part of her is telling that she is in love with Ruby, but another part of her is trying its best to disprove that notion. After all, if she is in love with her teammate, then that heart breaking break up was for nothing.

She continued to watch the two red-heads dance for a while longer; their dance eventually ended with them bowing to each other. Ruby grabbed Pyrrha's hand and walked towards the punch bowl for refreshment. Weiss sighed. Maybe coming to the dance was a bad idea. She looked around and found Neptune, talking to some other students that have arrived from Haven. It irritated her. He turned her down, and yet he still shows up to the dance ALONE.

Pyrrha and Ruby arrived at the punch bowl, where Jaune was sitting with his own cup of punch. Ruby said, "Hi, Jaune! Hiding by the punch bowl?"

He nodded. "Yep. Prime location for the socially awkward."

While Ruby prepared cups of punch for her and Pyrrha, the amazon said, "Come on, Jaune. You'd have a real fun time if you went out and talked to some people. It's actually not that hard... after a few attempts."

Jaune had no response for this. Handing Pyrrha her cup, Ruby took a drink out of hers while looking around the ball room. She found Weiss sitting down on the opposite side of the room looking depressed. She asked, "Is it just me, or has Weiss seemed down recently."

"She doesn't have a date either," added Pyrrha. "Maybe no one bothered to ask her."

"Actually," Jaune interjected, "She did ask Neptune out, but he turned her down."

"What!" Ruby exclaimed with anger.

"How do you know about this, Jaune?"

"I might have been around the corner when Weiss was asking him."

"I'll be right back," Ruby told her friends without looking at them, setting her cup down on the table behind her.

Walking by Neptune, the young girl grabbed him on the arm and started pulling him along. Neptune cried out for her to let him go and tried to free himself from her grip but to no avail. The two of them came out on the balcony overlooking Beacon's courtyard, and Ruby threw him towards the stone fencing around the balcony. Catching himself on the fencing, he asked, "What's the matter with you?"

"What's the matter with me?" she scoffed, repeating the question. "What's the matter with you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Weiss." Neptune's annoyance faded away, and his face showed an expression of shame. "How could you turn down such a nice person like Weiss? You've even spent weeks flirting with her, but when she asks you to the dance, you turn her down."

Neptune hesitated. "S-she's just not my type."

"How can she NOT be your type? She's elegant, smart, beautiful, kind… and sweet." Ruby could feel all of her feelings for Weiss rushing up to the surface again. "How can someone like that not be–"

"Can't dance!" Neptune squeaked out.

"What?"

"I can't dance."

Ruby could feel her anger building up towards the blue haired teenager. "So, you broke a girl's heart because you don't want to admit to the world you can't dance?"

"That pretty much sums it up. Yeah." Ruby remained quiet, trying to process the information in her head. "Look, I can see you're still hung up over Weiss. If you want her, you can have her. I don't want to get in–"

Neptune was cut off by Ruby's fist meeting his face and sending him to the ground. He looked up at the girl towering directly over him, her eyes full of anger. "I am going to say this once. Weiss is a woman, not an object for you to give. She decides who she wants to date! Not me and definitely not you! Example: she broke up with me because she no longer wanted to date me."

The man sitting on the ground was too terrified to say anything back. "You hurt my partner. You objectified her. You disgust me." Ruby turned her back to him and walked to the edge of the balcony. "Just get out of here, won't you."

The young huntress could hear the sound of footsteps receding; Neptune had left. However, as soon as his footsteps were gone, another set could be heard approaching her. "Ruby," called out a heavenly voice.

Ruby turned around to find Weiss approaching her. She said timidly, "W-Weiss! Um… Did you hear…"

"Yes."

"How much?"

"All of it."

It goes without saying that the younger girl was nervous about the situation. She figures Weiss would be mad at her for meddling with her love life. "I-I'm sorry, Weiss. It's just that Neptune turned you down, and yet he still came to the dance alone, and I just wanted to look out for you!"

"Ruby!" The girl in question flinched. "Thank you."

"Huh?"

"Thank you for standing up for me back there. No one has ever stood up for me like that before."

"Y-you're welcome. B-but I thought you'd be mad."

"Trust me, Ruby, if you hadn't punched him back when he said you could 'have me,' I would've come out and punched him myself."

Ruby watched as Weiss walked even closer to her. The moonlight shining on her face really brought out her beauty. The way her hips swayed with each step was beyond elegant. She stopped when they're barely a few inches apart, and Ruby could feel her heart beating a million miles a minute. She felt Weiss' fingers interlock around her own as she looked down. Ruby's face was now as red as her dress.

"Ruby, there's something I want to say to you, and there is only one way I can think to tell it to you."

Ruby couldn't ask what it was as Weiss's lips met her own. She felt like her heart would explode. The feeling of her friend's lips running over hers was something she could only dream about for the longest time. Suddenly, memories flooded through her mind. Memories of the fun times they shared, all leading up to the break up that broke her heart. Her sorrow from that time started to consume her again.

Weiss felt Ruby start to shiver and she pulled away. "Ruby?" she asked with concern.

Tears ran down her leader's face. "I just don't get it, Weiss. You break up with me, broke my heart, and now after all of this time you come up to me and kiss me. What's up with that?"

Weiss could only imagine how Ruby must be feeling by now. She probably feels like her emotions are being toyed with. "Ruby, I regret breaking up with you. At first, I didn't notice any difference in my feelings, but after you left us I couldn't help but want to be with you. I didn't know what to think of these feelings at first, but the more time went on and the more you grew further away from us, from me, the more I wanted to be with you."

"Weiss, where are you going with this?"

"Ruby. I love you."

The red-head didn't respond. Instead, she just pulled away. "Dammit, Weiss! Why do you have to go and do this?"

"Ruby, I–"

"I'm sorry, Weiss. I just need to be alone right now." Ruby slipped her feet out of her heels and ran away.

"Ruby!" Weiss called out, but the girl didn't stop. "I'm sorry…"


	10. White Rose

Weiss watched as the girl she loved ran from her. She wanted to chase after Ruby; she could probably catch her too. The girl clad in red was not calling upon the speed boost granted to her by her semblance, and Weiss is normally faster than Ruby's normal speed. So why is she not chasing after her. Maybe she just wanted to let Ruby have some time to herself to come to terms with her emotions. When her focus returned to reality, Ruby was already gone.

"I'm sorry, Ruby," she whispered to no one.

Weiss stood there silently alone with her thoughts. Clouds flying with the wind obscured the shattered moon, darkening the area. The heiress could hardly see her own hand at this level of darkness. Was it a mistake to tell Ruby that she loved her? Should she have kept her feelings bottled up? No. She overheard Little Red's conversation with Neptune, and the way she talked about her implied that she still had feelings for her. Maybe it was a good thing to have told Ruby, but still she should have anticipated the emotional turmoil it would cause for the younger girl.

What is she going to do now? Now they both know that they have feelings for each other, but Ruby is still torn up over their break up. Ruby probably wouldn't start dating Weiss again in fear that she might have her heart broken again. Then again, Ruby could also be happy to get back with her, give their relationship another try. It was killing Weiss not knowing what the consequences of her actions will come to.

"Hey, Schnee!" Uh oh.

The heiress felt a hand grab the front of her dress tightly, pulling her forward. The clouds covering the moon flew away, letting the moonlight soak the earth once again. The dim light revealed Yang as the one grabbing Weiss's dress. The blonde did not look pleased. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that she appeared to be beyond pissed.

"What the hell did you do to my baby sister?" Yang spat out.

Pyrrha cane running up, concern written across her face. "Yang, calm down," she pleaded, trying to calm the brute's rage.

"Why should I? Ruby and Neptune goes out, Neptune comes back in, Weiss goes out, and then Ruby comes running through the ball room barefooted crying her heart out! Surely Weiss did something to hurt her!"

Pyrrha said nothing. There was nothing she could do to calm the wrath of Hurricane Xiao Long. All she could do is let things run their course and hope that no casualties will result in the process.

"Spill it! What did you do to my darling sister?"

"I-I j-just kissed her," Weiss stuttered out quickly.

She could feel the grip on her dress loosen; Pyrrha and Yang looked at her with shock. The blonde started shaking, her brain struggling to put the pieces together.

"So, what? Were you just trying to play with her emotions or something?" She questioned quietly. Deep down, Yang knew that her teammate would never do such a thing, but her mind was clouded with rage making her think irrationally. She just does not understand what is going on.

"N-no, Yang! I would never do that! I love Ruby!

The three of them stood frozen in the moonlight. The sound of the smooth breeze drowning out the echoes of the dance music playing from within the building. Pyrrha continued to watch the two girls wide eyed. Yang had completely let go of Weiss's dress, slowly lowering her hand, and the latter took a couple steps back, smoothing out her dress. She watched the blonde whose eyes were hidden behind her bangs.

"You… love Ruby?" she muttered out loud enough for Weiss to hear.

Weiss nodded. "I do."

"For real, this time?"

"Yes."

"So, if you and Ruby were to start up a relationship again, I can count on you not to leave her again, not to break her heart again?"

"When we first started dating, I couldn't realize my feelings for Ruby because we had already spent so much time together. To me, everything felt normal, like we were just best friends. However, after I broke up with her and I started to see less of her, all I wanted was to be able to spend more time with Ruby." Weiss stopped talking for a sec, allowing her time to catch her breath and think of how to put the next words together. Yang quietly observed Weiss, waiting to hear what she has left to say. "I love Ruby, Yang. I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with her. I want her to be happy, and I'll do anything to make it happen. I will never leave her again, and I will never do anything to break her heart again either. "

Pyrrha can honestly say she was touched by Weiss' answer. Weiss continued to watch her blonde friend quietly standing in front of her. Yang suddenly reached forward and pull Weiss into a hug. "You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that. I truly think that you're the only one in the world who can give Ruby the happiness she deserves." She pulled back and looked sternly into Weiss' eyes. "However, this time around, if you break her heart no matter the reason, I will hunt you down like a Grimm. Got it?"

Weiss smiled confidently. "Got it!"

Pyrrha had tears forming in the corner of her eyes. She'd be lying to say if she didn't feel line she were watching a good soap opera. Wiping away the tears, she said, "You should probably go to speak with Ruby about this now. I bet she's having a tough time sorting out her emotions right now."

The heiress looked down in shame. "I'm afraid to say that I have no idea where she could be."

"You should try checking by the cliff side," suggested Yang. "She loves to watch the ocean whenever she's feeling stressed or sad."

Now that she thought about it, Weiss did find Ruby hiding out by the cliff the day she discovered the hooded girl's feelings. "Thanks, Yang. I'll go talk to her now."

"Good luck."

Weiss ran off in search to find the girl she loves. Pyrrha and Yang saw her off with smiling faces. They just knew that things would work out between Ruby and Weiss. The two were perfect for each other.

* * *

Ruby sat quietly by the cliff side, her hand covering her eyes as she tried to cry out the last of her tears. She doesn't get it. Weiss, WEISS, broke up with her. She broke her heart. Ruby had been left depressed for weeks, and when she is finally ready to move on and let Weiss go, Weiss comes to her, kisses her, and tells her that she loves her. If Weiss loves her, why could she not have realized her feelings earlier? Why did she have to deal with the emotional suffering of the break up?

That aside, Weiss admitted that she loved her. That's good, right? However, at the same time, she was scared. What if Weiss is wrong about her feelings? If the two of them do date again and Weiss brakes up with her for a second time, Ruby does not know if she will be able to handle it a second time. She wants to spend her life with Weiss, but she does not want to risk getting hurt again. What should she do?

Ruby felt a pair of arms wrap around her, pulling her into a warm embrace as a head rested on her shoulder. "A sweet girl like you shouldn't be crying. It doesn't suit you." Weiss was down on her knees behind Ruby, embracing the younger girl gently. Ruby's heart rate increased. Weiss began to run her hand through Ruby's short, silky hair. Ruby grabbed the arm that still wrapped around her with both of her hands.

"Weiss," Ruby called out quietly, almost sounding like a sob. The girl in question hummed in answer to the call. "Did you really mean what you said? Do you really love me?"

"I do, Ruby," the older girl answered without hesitation, whispering the answer into her ear. "I can't imagine living my life without you, Ruby. I want to spend everyday with you for the rest of our lives."

Ruby turned to face Weiss. The young girl had new tears forming in her eyes. These were not tears of sorrow. No. They were tears of happiness. "R-really?" she choked out.

Smiling warmly, she replied, "Really. I love you, Ruby."

Tightly wrapping her arms around Weiss' waist and burying her face into her chest, Ruby let her tears flow freely. "I love you too!" Weiss held the girl gently as she cried out everything she was feeling. The two sat there for what felt like hours to Weiss, and Ruby finally exhausted her tears. Sitting silently for an additional few minutes, Ruby pulled back and looked Into Weiss eyes. She asked quietly, "Weiss, do you promise never to leave me again?"

"I promise, Ruby. I'll stay by your side forever." Weiss stood up, holding out her hand. "You know, it's still dance night, Ruby. I was wondering if I could have this dance."

Smiling, Ruby accepted Weiss's hand. "I would love to dance with you." The heiress pulled up her love, placing her free arm on Ruby's shoulder. "By the way, I don't know how to lead."

"That's fine, Ruby. I'll lead."

As if music have been playing, their feet started to move in rhythm to the beat of a song. The two swayed back and forth, swirling around each other as they moved. The moonlight once again illuminated Weiss' face, drawing out her beauty. Weiss thought the same thing about Ruby. The two continued to dance for who knows how long. Time was irrelevant to the both of them. They were too focused on the other to even care about the time. Eventually, their dance came to an end. They didn't separate, bow, or do any fancy move to end the dance. They just naturally came to a stop, staring into each other's eyes.

Thinking as one, the girls closed their eyes and leaned toward each other. Their lips met. A spark ran through the both of them as they expressed their love for each other. In need for air, the two pulled apart, staring lovingly into each other's eyes.

"I love you, Weiss."

"I love you too, Ruby."

* * *

Ruby and Weiss returned to the dance hand in hand. Entering the room, they found that most of the students have gone back to the dorm, but they found Yang, Pyrrha, Blake, and Sun sitting around the punch bowl. Their friends all turned to face them as they walked up. Yang noticed that the two of them were holding hands. Smiling, she asked, "Hey, what's up you two?"

Giving the happiest smile for the first time in weeks, Ruby replied, "Weiss and I are together again." All of them smiled back. After a rough few weeks, their friend was finally truly happy again.

"Oh, really?" Yang said slyly. Not like she didn't see that coming. Turning to her white-haired friend, she winked. "You better take good care of my baby sister, Schnee."

Weiss replied, "Oh, I intend to Xiao Long."

Off to the side, Blake quietly said to Sun, "It would appear that you were right, Sun."

The monkey faunus smiled. "I told you. The two of them are perfect for each other."

"Strangely enough, that is true." Blake remembered back to their first day at Beacon. She never would have thought that with the way Weiss and Ruby treated each other back then that would ever be a perfect match.

Ruby walked up to Pyrrha, looking a bit shy. "Pyrrha, I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" The tall red-head inquired.

"You asked me out to the dance so that we could have a good time together and help me move on, but in the end I ran off after our first dance. I didn't even say anything to you before leaving. I feel like I ruined your night because of my selfishness."

Pyrrha wrapped her arms around the shorter girl. "It's fine, Ruby. I don't care that you ran off. Tonight, you got back together Weiss, and you are genuinely happy for the first time in weeks. I'm just happy that you're happy again."

Ruby pulled back smiling. "Thank you, Pyrrha. You've done a lot for me these past few week. I am truly thankful for that."

"You're welcome, Ruby. Anything for one of my dear friends."

Yang spoke up, "It's getting kinda late now. We should probably get going now."

Blake yawned. "That sounds like a good idea."

Ruby gripped onto Weiss' hand. "Come on, Weiss. Let's go home."

The older girl asked, "So, does that mean you're moving back in with us."

Ruby smiled. "Of course. Team RWBY's dorm is my home, and there is no other place I'd rather be than at home with you."

The group returned to the dorms. Making a quick stop at Team JNPR's dorm, Ruby grabbed her stuff. Nora congratulated Ruby on getting back together with Weiss, Ren commented that it was nice having her stay with them, and Jaune said that they would miss having her stay with them. After saying their good nights to each other, Ruby returned to Team RWBY's dorm. Yang and Blake were already asleep, and Weiss was sitting in her bed, half covered up under the blanket. After Ruby got changed into her pajamas, Weiss patted her bed, signaling for Ruby to get into bed with her. She complied. She got onto the bed and under the covers with Weiss, cuddling up close to her. she felt as if she were in Heaven.

"Good night, Weiss."

"Good night, Ruby."

"I love you."


	11. Invitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weiss receives a call from her older sister, Winter Schnee.

Weiss Schnee sat on her bed studying for an upcoming test. Studying on the bed is not all that comfortable to the heiress; she is only sitting there for one reason at that was because Ruby Rose was napping with her head on the heiress' lap. The hooded girl has taken up the habit of sleeping on Weiss' lap whenever she gets the chance. It aggravates Weiss in certain situations, like when she's trying to study, but she allows the younger girl to sleep on her lap anyway. Even if she doesn't, Ruby would just use Puppy Eyes on her. It's super effective!

However, this time around, she needs to try to get Ruby to study. Weiss started to poke Ruby's cheek causing Ruby to stir. After hearing the groan from the previously sleeping girl, she said, "Ruby, I really think you should get up and study for the test."

"Aww, but Weiss!" whined Ruby. "Let me rest for five more minutes."

"Ruby—"

"Besides, I already did my studying."

Weiss raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Oh yeah? What was the name of the settler who attempted to colonize a city halfway between Vale and Vacuo?" There was no reply from her girlfriend. "Ruby, you need to study."

"Come on, Weiss. Let her keep sleeping on your lap," said Yang. The blonde was hanging over the side of her bunk, looking at her sister sleeping with her girlfriend. "Besides, you two look really cute."

The white haired girl raised her hands in defeat. "Fine. Just don't come crying to me when she fails."

Yang crossed her arms. "You know, a good girlfriend would let her girlfriend look off of her test."

"And a great girlfriend will have her girlfriend study so she knows this stuff."

The blond rolled back onto her bed. "Sorry, Ruby. Arguing with her is a lost cause."

A sudden rumbling sound caught Weiss' attention, stopping her from scolding her girlfriend any further. Weiss picked up the source of the rumbling, her scroll. She did not recognize the number, but decided to answer anyway. Opening her scroll, she answered, "This is Weiss Schnee."

"Hello, my darling sister," replied a feminine voice.

"Winter," Weiss breathed out quietly. "Umm, hold on a second."

Weiss shook the girl sleeping on her lap. "Ruby, can you get off please? I need to step outside for a minute."

Whining, Ruby sat up. "Alright, Weiss."

Freed from Ruby's grasp, Weiss stepped out into the hallway. "That wasn't your number that showed up on my scroll," she stated.

"I had a feeling that you wouldn't answer if I had called through my phone, so I borrowed a phone off of one of my maids. Lovely woman."

Weiss exhaled nervously. For years, she had always felt a bit awkward, to say the least, around her older sister, but now the two were conversing now, so she might as well humor her now. "What do you want, Winter?"

"Who's Ruby?" asked Winter curiously.

"She's uh… my friend." Weiss replied nervously, realizing that Winter had heard everything when she pleaded Ruby to get off of her lap. She is not sure how her family would react to her dating a girl. Actually, she cared more about what her sister would think more than her father.

"A friend that sounds like she's laying down on you?" Oh, crap! How could she tell?

"What do you want, Winter?" asked Weiss, nearly squeaking out the answer. She heard a chuckle.

"Well, I hear that Beacon Academy has a week-long holiday coming up soon, and seeing how it's been years since I've seen my little sister, not to mention the fact that you left for Beacon without saying goodbye, I was hoping that you would come visit me at my place during your vacation."

Weiss nearly dropped her phone. "You want me to come visit you?" she asked surprised.

"Not just you. I was hoping you could also bring your team as well. I would really like to meet them all."

"Uhh, I don't know, Winter."

"Look, I don't expect you to come over, but I miss my sister. Please think about it. Call me back when you decide."

Weiss could hear the line cut off. Closing her phone, she simply stood there. She missed her sister too, but after an incident many years ago she still can't bring herself to look at her sister. Entering the dorm, she sat back down on her bed dropping her head. Ruby approached her girlfriend slowly and asked, "What's wrong, Weiss?"

Sighing, she replied, "That was my older sister on my phone."

Yang shot up from her bed. Both her and her sister asked simultaneously, "You have an older sister?"

Blake stated, "Her name is Winter Schnee. The Schnee family is well known around the world. You two would have known that if you did you're homework."

Weiss said with an annoyed tone, "I don't like how information about my family is easily accessed by most of the world."

Jumping off her bed and sitting down in Weiss', Yang got her face really close to her teammate. "So what did your sister have to say, Weiss?"

"Yeah, Weiss, tell us!" exclaimed Ruby.

A moment of hesitation. "She invited me to come stay with her at her place during the break, and she was hoping I could bring all of you with me."

Ruby said energetically, "I would like to go and meet your sister, Weiss!"

Yang added, "Plus the chance to stay at a big fancy house! Count me in!"

Well, that does it. At this point, Weiss has no choice but to accept her sister's invitation. Looking at Blake, she noticed that the cat faunus had a look of uncertainty. She's not surprised. Even though Weiss is her friend, Blake would probably be nervous about meeting another member of the Schnee family. "What do you think, Blake?" asked Weiss.

Blake groaned quietly. "I don't know, Weiss," she responded. "You and I had a rough start, especially when you learned that I am a faunus, but I have no idea how your sister would react."

"I honestly don't know how she'll react either, however I think that out of my entire family it's my father is the only one you'd want to be really careful of."

"What makes you say that?"

"Winter hasn't never seen eye-to-eye with our father. Actually, there have been several times where I could hear the two of them going at each others' throats late at night. And besides the fact that she has a stern appearance, she's actually a very nice person. However, I still don't know how she feels about faunus." Or how she would feel about her little sister dating another girl.

Ruby said hopefully, "Well, Blake always wear that bow that covers her ears, so Winter won't easily find out if Blake is a faunus, and if she does she'll hopefully have had enough time to get to know her that the fact that she is a faunus wouldn't bother her."

Yang commented, "That is true. What do you say, Blake? Will you come along?"

Hey, hey, hey! Weiss hasn't even agreed that they would be going, and here are her girlfriend and said girlfriend's sister talking about going like it is a sure thing. Weiss could feel herself getting hot, nervous about the thought of seeing her older sister. She would really like to shout out that she does not want to go visit her sister, but then her teammates would harass her for the reason which she is not ready to share yet. She really is trapped between a rock and a hard place. She looked over Blake, who was mulling over the argument that the energetic sisters have presented to her; deep down she was hoping that Blake would decline so she would have a valid reason not to visit her sister.

"Alright, I'll go," replied Blake. Weiss nearly fainted; now she is screwed. "If I could befriend the Ice Queen over there, I think I can befriend her nicer sister. Besides, if I can get on the Schnee family's good side, it could help bridge the gap between humans and faunus."

Yang gave her a thumbs up. "Yeah! Way to think of the positives, Blake!"

Weiss sighed. "Alright. I'll call her tomorrow to let her know that we'll be coming."

Ruby punched her fist into the air. "Alright! We're going to visit Weiss' sister!"

* * *

Classes ended rather quickly for the Schnee heiress; she wished it had lasted longer. Leaving the building, she found herself a secluded area in the courtyard. She opened her scroll, but she thumb tried to resist dialing the number. Her sister has forgiven her all of those years ago, but Weiss still has not been able to forgive herself for the incident. That's why it's hard for her to bring herself to even contact Winter. After a minute of fighting her thumb's willpower, she dialed her sister's phone. Waiting for a response while listening to the ring was killing Weiss. She would like to hurry up and get it over with, like ripping off a band-aid.

"Hello?" answered Winter on the other end.

"Hey, Winter," replied Weiss.

"Hey, Weiss," greeted her sister with a hint of excitement. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I thought about what you said last night, and after discussing it with my team, I have decided to come visit you with the rest of Team RWBY during the break." More like Ruby, Blake, and Yang decided to go and indirectly forced her to agree.

"That's great, Weiss! I'll have a private airship be there by the time classes end on the last day before the break. I look forward to seeing you and meeting your team."

"I look forward to seeing you too, Winter," said Weiss timidly.

"Well, I got to go now. I have some business to take care of. Goodbye, Weiss."

"Goodbye, Winter." She hung up her phone.

Leaning back against a tree, she decided to try to find a silver lining. Maybe this trip won't be so bad after all. Maybe she'll be able to forgive herself after at least nearly half a decade. But she could still feel butterflies fluttering about in her stomach. The thought was still nerve racking though.

* * *

The girls of Team RWBY approached Beacon's airstrip, carrying suitcases full of necessities with them. Ruby and Yang were excited, Blake appeared impartial as always, and Weiss, even though she didn't show it, was completely on edge. They all watched as an airship appeared from the distant, gradually appearing to increase in size as it got closer, and gracefully landing on the platform before them. The doors opened up, and several stewards exited the ship with one getting close and bowing. "Miss Schnee, we are ready to depart when you are, and we can load those bags for you."

The other handymen grabbed all of their suitcases and started to load them into the airship. Yang and Ruby expressed excitement about being able to experience a luxurious life over the next week. "Thank you. We're ready to go now."

"Very good, Milady."

The handyman led the group inside, and in moments the airship took off. "We should arrive at the manor by tomorrow morning. In the meantime, we have four bedrooms set up for you to sleep in tonight. We'll also have dinner brought out within a couple of ours. Make yourselves at home." Having told them about the situation, he left the room.

Ruby said, "I don't think we'll be needing to use all of those bedrooms. I'm more than happy to share a room with Weiss." She pulled her girlfriend into a huge bear hug.

"Umm, actually, Ruby, I think it'd be better if we stayed in separate rooms."

Blake and Yang were shocked, and Ruby pulled away, appearing hurt as she looked into Weiss' eyes. "But why?" she pouted.

"I come from a prestigious family, and even though my sister is a nice woman, I don't know how she would react to my dating a girl. A Schnee has to keep an image."

"But if we want to spend our life together, won't she find out someday anyway?"

"I know, but I just prefer if she doesn't find out right now." It hurt Weiss just to say that, and it obviously hurt Ruby more to hear that.

She looked away in defeat. "Alright, Weiss. If that is what you want, I'll make it look like we're just friends."

Weiss pulled her into a comforting hug. "Thank you, Ruby. I love you."

Ruby hugged back. "I love you too."


	12. Winter Schnee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team RWBY arrives at Winter Schnee's manor.

"What can I do for you, Miss Schnee?" asked a business man taking a seat across from Winter Schnee at her desk. "I know you wouldn't call me all the way over here privately for nothing."

Winter had a chess board sitting in front of her. She didn't immediately respond, casually moving around the piece around the board. The business man tried to appear calm and collected all the while being completely intimidated by the woman sitting before him. He waited patiently as she had moved the chess pieces to her liking. Finally, Winter replied, "I would like to buy all the shares that you own."

The man tensed up. "You would like to buy all of my shares?"

"Yes." The woman nodded towards an attendant. The attendant walked up with a couple of suitcases, placing both of them on the table and opening them. Within the cases were numerous stacks of money. Sure, most transactions were done digitally now days, but showing tangible money lets the dealer know that their accounts won't be hacked to show an increase in their amount only to be taken away after the deal is done. "The amount in these suit cases is equivalent to 10x worth the stocks' current pricing."

The man looked at the money greedily. "You're willing to pay so much just to get my shares."

She nodded, however she wasn't going to tell him that even with this much money it doesn't even make a dent in the fortune that is under HER name. "Yes, and it can all be yours. I just have one small condition about this transaction."

He glared at her. "Oh yeah, and just what would that be?"

"You are not to speak of our transaction to anyone." She pulled out a contract from her desk and slipped it over to the business man. "This contract states that I am buying your shares with the amount I've set before you, however if you speak of this transaction to anyone but the IRS, then I get to reclaim every last cent from you, regardless of whether or not you had spent it. The terms seem acceptable to me."

He glared at the sheet of paper then glanced at the money. Smiling, he said, "Alright, Miss Schnee. You got yourself a deal." He signed the contract and passed it back to her.

Picking up the contract, Winter inspected the entire thing before smiling. "Very good, Sir. I am pleased with your decision." Standing up, the both of them shook hands before the man grabbed both suitcases and left.

Winter sat back down, moving the black queen to take out a white bishop. She picked up the piece and crushed it, dumping the shards that remained into a trash can. Pretty soon, she'll be ready to call checkmate on her enemies. An attendant brought her a cup of tea which she accepted happily. The attendant said, "Lady Schnee, I have received word that the airship transporting Weiss and her team will arrive within thirty minutes."

"I see. Thank you." Drinking the last few drops of tea in her cup, Winter stood up and walked to the window behind her, gazing at the numerous snow covered mountains surrounding her manor. "It's been so long since I've seen my sister. I am just dying to see her and this 'Ruby' girl," she proclaimed gleefully, something that her attendants do not see often.

* * *

Ruby and her friends had stepped out of the airship, gazing at the enormous manor standing before them. The manor is located on a cliff side that hung over a gorgeous lake surrounded by a small forest and many mountains to act as a natural barrier against the Grimm.

A handyman approached them, saying, "Miss Winter Schnee is here to greet you. Please be respectful."

The four of them noticed a woman approaching from the building. Like Weiss, she too had white hair, but her hair was more well kept than the younger Schnee. Her hair was pulled back into a bun while her bangs predominantly covered her right eye. The one eye that did show was light blue like Weiss' as well. The woman's body was well developed, her bust size rivaled Yang's; Weiss must be jealous. So this is Winter Schnee. Ruby noticed Weiss tensed up a bit at the sight of her sister.

Winter walked up to Weiss.

"Winter," said Weiss.

"Weiss," replied Winter. Grabbing her little sister's shoulder, she pulled her into a hug. "You've grown up so much, Weiss. I can't believe it has been at least five years since we've last seen each other."

"Wait a sec," interrupted Yang. "It's been five years since the two of you last met?"

The older Schnee glared at the younger one. "Weiss? Have you not told them about back then?"

Weiss shook her head. "No, Winter."

Ruby walked up, asking, "Tell us about what?"

"It's nothing, Ruby," snapped Weiss. "Please just let it go."

"Alright, Weiss." What had happened between the Schnee siblings to where they haven't seen each other for so long? All of team RWBY couldn't help but wonder that.

Winter turned to face Ruby. "So you must be Miss Ruby Rose. Am I right?"

Ruby started to feel a tad bit uneasy. "Yes Ma'am! I am Ruby Rose. And these two are our friends, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long. Yang is actually my older sister." Ruby motioned over to the mentioned girls.

Blake bowed her head respectfully. "It's nice to meet you," she greeted politely.

Yang, doing the complete opposite of her teammate, waved. "Hello!" she greeted enthusiastically, earning her a glare from one of the handymen but she merely shrugged it off. Yang does whatever the hell she wants.

Winter bowed her heads to the young huntresses-to-be. "It's nice to meet all of you too. Weiss wasn't exactly the type to make friends as she grew up, so it's nice to get to meet some of her friends." Yang snorted at the comment. "Well, why don't you come on in. Lunch should be ready here in a few minutes."

Winter turned and led them to her home. Ruby said to Weiss quietly, "Wow, Weiss. You were right; she is very kind. If she was just like you, she probably would have scolded Yang for her behavior."

Weiss glared at her girlfriend. "What exactly are you implying, Ruby."

She just grinned. "Oh, nothing."

The group had made their way to the dining room, which had a moderately sized round table in the center of the room. They took their seats with Ruby and Weiss sitting on both sides of Winter, and Blake and Yang sitting opposite from them. Not much longer after they had sat down had stewards entered the room carrying trays of food; there was an amazing diversity among all of the food. The fragrance of sushi has caught Blake's attention. Even though she would have preferred raw fish, sushi is still fish none the less, so she'll take them. All of them.

Winter started grabbing some food from the mix, placing them on her plate. She stated, "Now since I don't know what all of you prefer to eat, I took the liberty of having my cooks prepare nearly everything they could think of. Don't feel the need to eat all of it, but please help yourselves to anything you'd like."

Yang, Blake, and Ruby all drooled at the sight of food before them. They had the look of miners who had struck gold. Blake snatched all of the sushi for herself, Yang grabbed a lot of meat ranging from steaks to pork chops, and Ruby snagged several strawberries and cookies. While her teammates tore into the food without any signs of etiquette, Weiss gracefully retrieved some food from the mass.

"Still uptight, eh, Little Sister?" asked Winter.

Weiss recited dutifully, "A Schnee must always behave with the utmost etiquette and dignity. Father spent years drilling that into our heads."

"Our father lives in the old days. It's alright to behave casually. Especially if your among people you love. Don't feel the need to be a 'proper' Schnee just because you're here. Just let loose and enjoy yourself." Taking her sister's words to heart, Weiss dropped her "dignified" posture into a more casual one and ate like her friends, albeit with a bit more manners. Winter turned to Ruby, who was gobbling down all of the strawberries and cookies. "So, Ruby. I'm curious to know how you met my little sister."

Ruby, swallowing all of the strawberries she had in her mouth in one huge gulp, answered, "I actually first met her right after we arrived at Beacon. I ended up falling into her luggage, which was full of Dust, and she started shouting at me. At first, I thought she was such a huge brat."

Winter laughed. "Yeah. That's my sister. She always had a hard time getting along with other people."

"Tell me about it. We ended up becoming partners during the entrance exam. I tried to make friends with her, but she was still insistent of being mean to me. It was only a couple of days later that she started to warm up to me."

"Oh, really?" Ruby nodded. She really wanted to admit to Winter that she and Weiss were actually girlfriends now, but she promised her girlfriend that she wouldn't let Winter find out. Not until she is ready to let her know. "You know, when I called Weiss a few days ago, asking her to come visit, I could hear her asking you to get off of her. It sounded like you two are so close that she would let you lie down on top of her."

"W-well yeah. We are b-best friends after all." said Ruby, trying her best to sound sincere, but she is sure that a hint of deceit could be heard in her voice.

"I see." Winter took another bite of her food. Did she believe it? Right now, Ruby and, especially, Weiss are praying that she did.

Trying to change the subject, Weiss asked, "So, Winter, have you spoke to Father recently?"

She replied quietly enough so only Weiss would hear her, not wanting to bring down the other girls' mood. "We haven't conversed with each other in about a year. He invest so much time into the company, while I try to focus on my own job." That's right. Winter is actually a general in the Atlisian military. She oversees all of the projects for developing new weapons for the army, such as the Atlisian Paladins and the robo soldiers that patrols the borders of the kingdom. With the military behind her and her claim to the Schnee's legacy, Winter Schnee is most likely the most powerful woman in the world. "I don't mind though, actually. We haven't really seen eye-to-eye."

Weiss looked down at her plate solemnly. Her grandfather created the Schnee Dust Company as a medium for the people of Remnant to reclaim hope in warding off the Grimm, but her father came along, and now the company's ethnicity is highly questionable. Ever since her mother passed on from an illness, her father has been unintentionally ripping their family apart. Even her grandfather, who is now hospitalized and confined to a sick bed as he passes off what little time he has left, doesn't try to contact any of them. Anyone could tell that he was very disappointed in his son.

The young Schnee's melancholy expression didn't go unnoticed by her older sister. Winter wanted to say something reassuring to Weiss, try to cheer her up, but no words could come to mind. It was at that moment did a steward enter the room and whispered something in her ears. "Weiss, I'm afraid we'll have to catch up later." She turned to Ruby. "And Ruby, I would like to talk to you some more later, if we get the chance." The girl in question nodded enthusiastically with a mouth full of strawberries and cookies. Winter stood up and announced to her guest, "I'm afraid I have some business matters to attend to, so I can't stay. Once your done eating, feel free to make yourselves at home. You are my guests after all." With that said, the older Schnee left the dining room.

Yang, with a mouth full of food, said, "You know, I really like her. She IS definitely nicer than her ice queen sister."

"Hey!" whined the heiress.

"Hey, you have no right to complain! You even said so yourself!"

"Well, could you at least stop calling me ice queen?"

The blonde crossed her arms with a smug grin. "Not a chance."

Ruby said, "Well, what shall we do now?"

Blake, who had cleared the table of all sushi, said, "I don't know about you two, but after eating my fill, I would like a good book to read."

A steward walked up. "Miss Belladonna, I think it would please you to know that there is a library in the manor that puts the one at Beacon to shame."

Blake swiftly turned to face the steward. "Where is it?"

"Head back to the manor from which you answered, go up the stairs, head into the eastern hallways, then take a left, and the entrance will be on the right. You can't," Blake was now gone, "miss it..."

Yang mumbled, "Well, I guess we all know what Blake will be doing." She turned to the steward. "Hey, what other neat places have you got here."

"You can find a plethora of recreational activities here, Miss Xiao Long. We have tennis courts, a mini golf course, a small tavern where you can play a game of billiards, I hear that there is a bowling alley somewhere, and there is also an indoor pool. We also have an elevator leading down to the lake where you can take some boats and go fishing or water skiing. Take your pick."

Yang asked her sister enthusiastically, "Hey, Ruby! They have a mini golf course. Would you like to play a round?"

"I don't know, Yang," replied Ruby.

"Oh, don't tell me you're still butthurt about the last time we played." A few years ago, Tai-Yang and Qrow took them to a mini golf course, and Ruby was performing horribly. It got to the point Ruby crawled into a fetal position and started pouting about her poor gameplay. Her final score was a plus nineteen.

"I'm not butthurt about anything!"

"Then prove it. I, Yang Xiao Long, challenge you to a game of mini golf."

"Fine, then! I, Ruby Rose accepts your challenge. Hey, Weiss. Want to come play with us?"

"No, you two go on ahead," replied Weiss. "I'll catch up to you later."

Ruby deflated a little bit, but still she put on a smile. "Alright then. Don't take too long." She and her sister left to find the golf course.

Weiss turned to the steward. "Will you show me to my room, please?" The steward complied, leading the girl through what seems to be a labyrinth of hallways. Weiss might have to put a tracker on Ruby to keep her from getting lost. It wouldn't surprise her if that happens. The two eventually came to a stop, the steward presenting her the door to her room. After expressing her gratitude, she entered her room. She looked into her bags to find them empty. Her clothes have already been deposited into the closet and dressers.

Something on her bed caught her eyes. Sitting upon the bed was a long, thin box held closed crudely by a few pieces of tape. There was also a piece of paper taped to the box. It read, "To Weiss." Wondering what lied within the box, she undidnthe tape and opened it up. Shebwas taken aback by the contents inside of the box.

"No," Weiss said quietly and sadly. "It can't be. Why is this here?"


	13. Old Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something from Weiss' past comes back to haunt her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this hasn't been updated sooner. I posted this chapter a couple of weeks ago on FF.net, but never got around to posting it here. I'm going to do my best to be more frequent on both sites.

It was now turning dusk as Ruby pouted while walking along the halls of the manor. She and Yang had finished her game of golf, and she lost with Yang at plus six and with her at plus eighteen. It's official. She sucks at mini golf. She would like a kiss from Weiss to cheer her up, but on this trip, they are merely best friends. That depressed her even more. She would like to show her affection for Weiss Schnee, especially to the cold girl's sister. She wants for Winter to accept their relationship, and she wants Weiss to feel more at ease with her family.

The hooded girl was also on a search for her brunette teammate. Dinner time is closing in, and she needs to let Blake know. Try to get her out of the library too. The cat faunus is obsessed with books. However, in her search for the library, Ruby ended up lost. She was about to turn a corner when a shout echoed through the hallway. "Winter!" She recognized the voice as Weiss', and she sounds upset. Ruby hid on the other side of the corner, her back to the wall. What's going on? Why is her partner mad at her sister?

She heard another voice, which belonged to Winter. "What's wrong, Weiss?"

"You should know what's wrong. How could you leave this in my room?" Ruby assumed that Weiss must have been showing something to Winter. She wished she could look and see it.

Winter replied, "Because it belongs to you, and you should keep it."

"Why would I want to keep this? And how do you still have this after so many years?"

"I salvaged it when you tried of dispose of it. I kept it in safe keeping ever since."

There was a moment of silent. Ruby heard no footsteps, so they have not moved from their spots yet.

Winter spoke comfortingly. "Weiss, you should take pride in that."

"How? How can I take pride in this? How can I after the incident?" Weiss' voice was starting to break up a little bit.

"True. There were misfortunes," Winter spoke calmly and comfortingly, "but I moved on and so should you." A moment of silence. "Look, I don't blame you for what happened, and you should stop blaming yourself as well." No response from Weiss. "Weiss, you poured your heart and soul into it. It's what was the start of your dreams. The start of the path you walk now." Weiss still refused to utter a single word. "At least think about keeping it. If by the time you leave, you still don't want it then let me have it. This is something too precious to be thrown away."

Ruby really wish she could just turn and see what is going on, but she does not want Weiss to know she has been eavesdropping on their conversation. Finally, Weiss responded, "I'll think about it. I'll see you at dinner."

"Alright, then."

Footsteps echoed throughout the halls, signaling that the two are continuing along their paths. For Ruby, the sound of one set of footsteps were gradually growing louder. Uh-oh! Someone was coming her way. Close to summoning the powers of her semblance, a voice called out her name, prompting the huntress to stop. She turned around, and it was her partner's older sister, Winter, who called out to her.

Ruby smiled nervously."Hey, Winter. What's up?"

"Not much is going on," replied Winter. "What are you doing over here?"

"Well, it's getting close to dinner time, and Blake is most likely still reading in the library. I was trying to find her, but I ended up getting lost," replied Ruby, hoping that the woman standing before her would not think that she overheard the sibling's conversation.

Winter merely pat Ruby on the shoulder with a smile. "You can go on ahead. I'll notify your friend."

Well, if Winter did suspect the young girl of listening on the conversation, at least she was not pressing it. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. From this location, the library would be fairly hard to find for someone who doesn't know the layout of the mansion. You do know the way back to the dining room, right?"

Ruby nodded quickly. "Yes, I do."

"Alright then. Run along and I'll get Blake for you."

"Thanks."

Ruby ran off to the dining room, and Winter went to the library. The library had a circular center with it branching out in four directions as it stood four stories high. Winter asked the librarian if she had seen Blake. After getting the needed information, she went up to the third floor where she found said girl sitting at a table with a few stacks of books at the western end of the library. She approached the brunette while quickly reading the titles of all of the books that she had pulled out. "It would appear that you really like to read books, Blake," commented Winter, causing Blake to jump.

Blake was a little startled to say the least; she was not expecting someone to come talk to her all of a sudden. "M-Miss Schnee..."

"You can just call me Winter, Blake."

Blake was starting to feel more at ease as her heartbeat went back to normal. "Ok, Winter."

The white-haired girl started to pick up and move several books so she could get a better look at them all. "I see that you like to read novels that places faunus as the protagonist fighting for what is right."

"I do," replied Blake, looking back at the book she was reading.

Winter grinned as she pulled up a certain book. "And it would also appear that you have a bit of a naughty side, grabbing a book like this."

Blake felt her face get hot as it turned red. "Says the woman who owns the book!" she retorted.

It was Winter's turn for her face to turn red. "I-I try to keep things diverse. Let there be something for anyone who visits to enjoy. I-it's not like I like to read this stuff or anything."

Blake could not restrain herself from laughing at the sight of a woman of that stature getting embarrassed about owning a erotic book. Wiping a tear from her eye, she said, "In the short amount of time I've been here, I managed to look through most of the library. It looks like you don't have any book that puts faunus in a bad light or demonize them."

Winter looked around the library, pretending to check all of the books on the shelves. "No. I suppose I don't, do I?" The woman merely shrugged it off. "It's almost dinner time, Blake, and your friend, Ruby, wanted to make sure that you don't miss it."

Blake looked at a nearby clock with shock. It was already getting late. Time flies when you are reading a good story. "Thank you, Winter. Sorry for making you go out of your way for me."

The older woman merely smiled. "Don't worry about it, Blake. It's the duty of the hostess to make sure her guests are well taken care of."

Getting up, the disguised faunus started to make her way towards the dining room. "I'll meet you down there," claimed Winter. When the brunette was out of sight, she surveyed her surroundings, and with the aid of her aura she determined that no one else was around. Narrowing her eyes and entering stealth mode, she reached out and retrieved the black, erotic novel that Blake had pulled out, walking off with dignity. It was beyond her knowledge and comprehension how the book ended up in the library, but that is of little importance. What is important is that she gets it back to her room before anyone else can find it.

* * *

Team RWBY along with Winter were once again gathered at the dining table, enjoying their late meal. As it turns out, Winter observed what the girls ate during lunch and had the chef prepare dinner accordingly. There was a very meaty dish for Yang, and Blake had a choice between a few different fish themed dishes which had both cooked and, surprisingly, raw fish. However with Ruby, Winter saw how she only ate strawberries and cookies, so she had the cooks prepare a healthy dish with several different veggies, a steak, with a couple of cookies to the side. The older Schnee did catch a glimpse of disappointment in Ruby's face, but the young girl graciously accepted the meal and ate what she had.

As they ate, Winter conversed more with the Bumblebee duo this time around. While those three talked, Ruby couldn't help but think about what Winter and Weiss were talking about. Apparently there was an accident that occurred back then that had hurt both of them. The older sister managed to move on, but the younger sister still appears to be unable to let go of the past as it still haunts her to this day. Looking over at her girlfriend, she saw that Weiss was still in a solemn mood. Ruby would like to talk to Weiss about her problem so she can help her emotionally, but she doubts that Weiss would be willing to reveal such a personal backstory.

"Hey, Weiss, it was Jordon Ramsay who attempted to settle a colony between Vacuo and Vale," stated Ruby, trying to get her distract her partner from her sorrows.

The heiress face-palmed. "Ruby, Jordon Ramsay is the famous chef that owns several chains of restaurants around the world. It was Jordan Grimfel who attempted to colonize that settlement. Honestly, Ruby, don't you ever read your textbooks?" she explained, saying that last part a little more harshly than she meant to.

That last remark did sting Ruby a little bit, but she reminds herself that Weiss is in a bit of a bad mood right now. "I have read my books," she pouted. "I could've sworn that it was Jordon Ramsay though!" Truthfully, Ruby knows that the answer was Jordan Grimfel, but her partner never misses the chance to scold her about her studies, which will distract her from whatever is causing her grief. Pretending to sigh in defeat, she added, "I just have a really have a hard time with names." That part was true though; she has mixed up several names of historical figures. She put on a sad, puppy-eyed look, a look that almost always gets to Weiss.

The white haired girl looked into Ruby's sad, yet deceitful, eyes. Smiling, she said, "Don't worry, Ruby. I'll help you study after dinner. We can't have you failing Dr. Oobleck's test right after the holidays, now can we?"

"Thank you, Weiss!" Ruby pulled Weiss into a hug, a faint blush appearing on the older girl's cheeks. She quickly returned the hug before they pulled apart.

Winter was quietly watching them from the side, feeling a tinge of jealousy towards the young girl. It's been years since her sister has given her a hug, and yet Ruby can easily get a hug out of Weiss, and they've only known each other for a few months at most. Jealousy aside, Winter was intrigued by the red clad girl. Like Ruby, Winter had also noticed that Weiss was still upset over the item she had left in her room, but Ruby knew exactly what to do to help the young Schnee feel better. Ruby brought up their studies to distract Weiss from her thoughts, and she followed up with a sad look to lighten Weiss' mood.

Ruby knows exactly what to do to make Weiss feel better, and with that hug, Winter is certain that the two are very close to each other. Just how close those two are, she does not know. If Winter plays her cards right, she could probably get Ruby to help mend fences between her and her sister. Winter wants her relationship with her sister to return to the way it was way back when.

* * *

The red and white clad partners of Team RWBY entered the white one's bedroom. As they entered, Ruby stretched out her arms, it's been an eventfully day. Weiss took off her coat, exposing her shoulders, and placed the coat on a chair. Weiss caught her partner staring at her shoulders. Smirking, she teased, "Like what you see?" Ruby could feel her face heat up as a blush crept onto her cheeks. No reply. "I'm going to take a shower before we start our study session." Weiss entered the bathroom, leaving her friend alone in the room.

Ruby will admit it. She is a bit annoyed that her deceitful ignorance led to having to have a study session with Weiss, but at least she managed to improve the said girl's mood. Wanting to relax before the long study session, she hopped onto the bed, landing on her back. Something felt weird with the collision though. It felt as if something was sitting beneath the bed. Ruby looked over the edge, and she found an end of a box sticking out from under the bed. She probably should not be snooping, but her curiosity got the better of her.

Pulling the box out from under the bed, she opened it. The shock she felt afterwards paralyzed her. Is this the item Winter and Weiss were discussing earlier? If it is, Ruby has a image in her head of what could have happened to her partner in her past. Speaking of which, there is a high possibility that Weiss will be pissed if she found out that Ruby had snooped through her belongings. Closing the box, she replaced the box beneath the bed in the exact position she found it in. She would like to get a full explanation from Weiss, but she will not press the matter, or bring it up at all. If her partner wanted her to know, she would have told her. After all, a good girlfriend will let the one she loves reveal her secrets only when she's ready too, and Ruby will refrain from sharing her discoveries and speculations from the rest of her team.

She lied back down on the bed, waiting for her girlfriend to finish in the shower. At the current time, it was late into the night, and she was full from dinner. As she lied, she felt her eyelids gradually getting heavier, and without her realization, everything went black.

Weiss exited the bathroom, wearing her nightie. Scanning her room, she found her partner lying on the bed, fast asleep. She huffed and puffed up her cheeks. Her dolt of a girlfriend fell asleep right before their study session. Sighing, she smiled. Oh well. They're on vacation after all, and it's been an eventful day for everyone. She will let her partner get away tonight, but there will not be any escape tomorrow night.

* * *

Winter sat on the railing of a balcony on a tower of her manor, holding a glass of champagne looking up at the shattered moon hanging overhead. She felt that the moon symbolized her family perfectly. Her beloved grandfather is estranged, her mother has passed, her sister cannot look her in the eyes, and her father... Their family's situation has really gone to hell the past few years. She drank from her champagne.

The gears are turning though; she has a plan. However, if it is to work out, she's going to need Weiss. Winter is gambling everything on the week she has right now. She's already put her plan into effect, but if she fails to repair her damaged relationship with her sister, Weiss might not be so willing to help. If by the end of the week she fails to enlists Weiss' assistance, then her plan will undoubtedly fail, and she will never get another chance like this ever again.

Holding the half full glass of champagne over the edge of the balcony, she released her grip of the glass and it descended down to Earth. The shatter was not heard. A nearby butler holding a bottle of champagne asked why she dropped the glass over the edge. Winter did not reply. If her plan failed, she'll simply have to disappear. If that happens, she will... No. It will not happen. Her plan will succeed.


	14. A Trip to Atlas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby and the Schnee sisters visit the enormous kingdom of Atlas.

Ruby was the first one to wake up that morning, finding Weiss wrapping herself around her. Thinking back to last night, the last thing Ruby could remember was Weiss leaving to take a quick shower, and as she lied on her bed, everything went blank. She must have fallen asleep waiting for her girlfriend to come back. She grinned. She was actually really surprised that Weiss did not wake her up. Ruby gave Weiss a quick kiss; Winter's not around to see anything. Pulling back from the kiss, she saw the white haired girl's normal, neutral expression change to one of content.

Carefully untangling herself from Weiss' grasp, Ruby got off the bed and headed towards the door. Turning back, she looked at the heiress sleeping peacefully in her bed, still undisturbed, and then took a quick glimpse at the box that poked out from under the bed. She would love an explanation, but until Weiss is ready to talk, she will not press it. Poking her head out the door, Ruby scanned the surroundings, eventually concluding that no one else is around. She stepped out of the room, quietly closing the door behind her, and went on her way to her own room.

"Ruby," called out a voice, causing the girl in question to jump.

It turns out that it was Winter who had sneaked up on Ruby, once again. How did she even get here? The hallway was empty a minute ago. Is it possible that Winter moves at a speed that rivals her own? Or is she just bad a trying to sneak around? Most likely the latter.

Smiling innocently, Ruby greeted, "Good morning, Winter."

"Good morning, Ruby. What were you doing in Weiss' room?" the woman asked curiously, raising an eyebrow.

How long has she been around? Does she have all seeing eyes or something? "Honestly, I was a bit surprised to find myself in there. I remember we came to her room last night to study, but before we got started Weiss decided to take a quick shower. I then made myself comfortable on her bed, and that was the last thing I remember from last night." Ruby let out a large yawn. "I was very sleepy last night."

"I see." Winter looked at the door to her little sister's room. She was certain Weiss would probably wake anybody else up and then kick them out of the room. "Ruby?"

Ruby jumped again. "Y-yes?"

"I'm planning to take Weiss in to Atlas today, and I was wondering if you would like to accompany us."

She debated in her mind. She believed that being alone with the sisters might be a bit awkward, and she is already awkward enough around other people. On the other hand, Winter has invited her whole team to spend their vacation at her estate; the least she could do to return the favor is accept the woman's request. Plus, she would like to use this as an opportunity to get to know Winter better. "Sure! I'd like to go with you two. What about Yang and Blake though?"

"I'll leave a chopper here for them too if they want to visit the kingdom too, but I want it to just be the three of us." Ruby made a curious face. "What is it?"

"Well, if you want today to be a bit of a private day, I was wondering why you'd invite me along."

"Weiss can be a bit cold and distant especially around her family, so I'm hoping that with you around, you could get her to mellow out today. Plus, I would really like to get to know you more," she replied with a wink, causing Ruby to blush slightly.

"What makes you think that I'm capable of mellowing Weiss out."

"Call it 'sister's intuition.' It's something us big sisters have." Considering how perceptive Yang is about the hooded girl, Ruby found that explanation to be quite plausible. "Follow me, please?" Winter motioned her head towards her little sister's door.

"S-sure."

The two entered the young heiress' room, the owner of the room still sleeping in her bed. The bedroom was still moderately dark. "Good morning, Weiss. Time to wake up," called out Winter while she opened the drapes and brightening the mood.

Weiss groaned and scrunched up her face a little, but she showed no sign of awakening. Snapping her fingers, Ruby proclaimed, "I know how to wake her up." Pulling out her whistle, she quietly stepped over to Weiss. Winter stepped back, knowing very well that this wasn't going end well.

With a blow of the whistle the previously sleeping girl shot up from her bed, her face scrunched up in anger and her eyes filled with absolute fury. Without hesitation, she snatched the whistle from her girlfriend's hands, shouting angrily, "I've had enough of this goddamn whistle!" With no concern for the windows, the enraged heiress threw the whistle through a window, shattering the glass, and the whistle disappeared into the tress that surrounded the estate.

Half pleased and half still angry, she turned her glare to Ruby. The younger girl sat back, timidly poking her fingers together while looking at her with big, sorrowful eyes. The situation was similar to their first interaction, after Ruby nearly blew up her entire supply of dust. This time around, Weiss' anger easily drained away when she looked at Ruby's apologetic face. She just can't bring herself to stay mad at the girl anymore. She had completely fallen for her, and there is nothing she can do about it.

The younger huntress looked down, saying, "That was my favorite whistle..."

Now the heiress' anger has been completely replaced with guilt. Comfortingly grabbing Ruby's shoulder, she said, "I'm sorry, Ruby. How about I buy you a new one?" It would be a lot easier to buy a new whistle rather than going out into the forest and searching for her old one.

Ruby looked back up, her face shining with a bright smile. "Alright."

Winter watched them from the side, completely impressed by Ruby. She has Weiss completely wrapped around her fingers, a feat that no one else has ever been able to achieve. She smiled. It was fun to watch though. "Weiss, get ready," she demanded. "After breakfast, we're going to fly over to Atlas."

"Huh? I don't remember agreeing to that," Weiss stated dumbfounded. "What if I don't want to go to Atlas today?" She crossed her arms.

Winter raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms too. "What do you intend to do all day then? Roam around and brood?"

Weiss opened her mouth but spoke nothing. Her sister had a point. She only came here because of her team, so she really wasn't expecting to accomplish much. Ruby stared at her pleadingly, asking innocently, "Please, Weiss."

"Ruby's coming along?"

"Yes. It will only be the three of us today."

She looked back and forth between her sister and her girlfriend. They're ganging up on her. She sighed. "Alright. I'll go with you."

Ruby cheered and Winter smiled. "Alright. We'll go shortly after breakfast."

* * *

Ruby was right. This is awkward. She could cut the tension she felt between the Schnee sibling as the rode on the helicopter to Atlas. None of them has said anything since getting on the helicopter. Winter was putting all of her effort into looking composed while being very nervous; she wants the day to go smoothly. Weiss was feeling uneasy about the whole situation. It's been years since she spent time with her sister, and she is now alone with her, with the exception of Ruby. She is grateful that she has Ruby here; that makes her feel somewhat better.

The sister's were wearing heavier clothes than usual. Atlas is the northern most kingdom out of the four, so their climate is generally colder than the other three kingdoms. In fact, there was a chance of snow today. Unlike the other two girls, Ruby wore her regular attire.

"Are you going to be alright with those clothes, Ruby?" Winter asked with concern, thankfully breaking the silence. "We can get you something warmer once we arrive in Atlas."

Ruby shook her head. "No. I'm fine. I'm very cold tolerant. Besides, no matter how cold it gets," she grabbed her hood and wrapping it around her tightly, "this hood will always be enough to keep me warm." Her smiling mouth showed happiness, but her traitorous eyes displayed sadness. The Schnees saw the sorrow, but spoke nothing of it. Everyone has their own sorrow, but they should only share it only when they feel like they are ready. They know this fact better than anyone. Weiss moved to sit next to Ruby, wrapping her arm around her partner and pulling her close. Ruby questioned her actions, but Weiss merely smiled, squeezing her shoulder, and Ruby lied her head down on her shoulder.

Weiss remembered very well that her sister was watching, and it was highly probable that she is starting to get ideas in her head, but she does not care. All she cares about right now is comforting Ruby; to hell with everything else. There is no way the heiress could never completely hide her affections towards her partner, and she is certain that by the end of the week their relationship will be revealed to her sister. She does not know how the situation will unfold, how Winter will react, but she does hope that Winter will accept them.

Eventually, the helicopter landed on a skyscraper overlooking Atlas. The kingdom was much different than Vale; for as far as the eye can see, there were skyscrapers everywhere. Atlas is well known for being the leader in technological advancement as well as acting as the home for the majority of largest businesses in the world, such as the Schnee Dust Company, whose tower the girls' helicopter had just landed upon.

Ruby will admit that she is a bit, or very, intimidated for being at the headquarters of one of the most powerful businesses in the world, but they merely used the building as a landing pad for they did not stay to explore the building. She was thankful; Weiss had talked to her once about her father, and he sounds like a very scary guy. She does not know what she would have done if they had come across the man.

When they exited the building, she found people covering the walkways as well as heavy traffic clogging up the 10 lane highways that webbed itself around the vast kingdom. It's a wonder how people even get to their destination in this kingdom, however the rich people most likely don't have to worry about that. They would most likely take a helicopter ride to wherever they want to go. Welcome, Ruby Rose, to Atlas. The Kingdom that Never Sleeps.

Weiss asked, "So Winter, what do you have planned for us today?"

The older Schnee grinned, replying, "I don't know."

Weiss comically dropped to the ground, earning a laugh from her girlfriend. "Then what are we doing here in the first place?"

"We're here just to explore and have fun together. This is the first time we actually spent tine together in years. So, where shall we start." They noticed that Ruby was nowhere near them. The girl in question stood at the edge of the walkway, staring at a building across the street.

Weiss aligned her view with Ruby's and found that the place she was staring at was a weapon's store. A sign hanging on the building also advertised the fact that they had a shooting range inside. The hooded girl's pure, innocent eyes contained so much excitement. Weiss smiled. Her dork is so cute when she gets excited like that.

"How about we take Ruby over to that weapon's store across the street?" Weiss suggested. Ruby looked at them with hope. "She loves weapons."

"Alright then," replied Winter.

Ruby cheered. When the streets cleared, Ruby sprinted across to the store she was observing with the Schnee girls following close behind her. The store was much larger than the one that she had visited in Vale, despite the shooting range. They not only had standard weapon parts, they also had raw metals and tools for the enthusiasts to develop their own parts. In certain areas, there were finished weapons of nearly every type you could think of, but there were no weapons similar to Ruby's Crescent Rose. That did not surprise her; in fact, she thinks that she and her uncle, Qrow, are the only people in the world who posses such weapons.

"Ruby, if there is anything you would like to buy, I'll pay for it for you," offered Weiss.

Ruby replied, "No. I couldn't ask that of you, Weiss."

Without realizing it, the white haired huntress grabbed the red-head's hand lightly. "Ruby. I insist."

Ruby looked down at her hand being held by Weiss' then over at the girl's older sister. She quickly yanked her hand away, scratching the back of her head while attempting to hold back a small blush. "Alright, but I'll find some way to pay you back later." Before Weiss could say anymore, Ruby disappeared further into the store. She sighed. That dunce should know that she doesn't have to pay her back. As long as she is happy, that is all Weiss could ever ask for.

"It's funny, you know," commented Winter. "You say she's you're best friend, but it kind of looks like that you treat Ruby like she's your girlfriend or something."

Chills ran throughout Weiss' body. Is Winter on to them? She is not ready for this conversation now. Smiling, she replied with forced dignity, "Ruby really is just my friend. Father didn't raise a homosexual daughter." If anything, She considered herself to be bisexual, so there is truth to what she had said. However, if her father learns that she is in a romantic relationship with another girl, there is no telling what he would do. He always concerns himself with trying to keep up a pristine image for the Schnee family, like the noble families from centuries ago, and to him a gay relationship is a no-can-do.

"Did father really dig his claws into you that much?" asked Winter quietly enough so that Weiss couldn't hear her. "Well, I'll take your word for it, but I must say that it is so sweet that you are doing this for your friend."

"Yeah. However, I get the eerie feeling that my account might be regretting it later," claimed Weiss.

The two of them roamed the shop, merely sightseeing the place. After a while of silence, Winter said, "Hey, Weiss. Don't you recognize this place at all?"

"Huh?"

"I brought you here all of those years ago, back when you decided that you were going to become a huntress. You were determined to build your own weapon, saying that you will be one of the best huntresses in the world with developed skills in every part of the trade. You put so much work in to building it." And back then, she was more free spirited and possessed so much hope for the future.

Weiss scoffed, "Yeah, and look how well that bit turned out. The result is quite noticeable, isn't it."

"You've got to let go, Weiss."

"I know. It's just... It's hard..."

"No one ever said it'll be easy." The two spotted Ruby a few yards away from them, eagerly grabbing parts from the shelf. "Speaking of which, how you've given more thought into keeping it." Without replying, Weiss walked on.

* * *

The younger heiress was right about her account regretting her promise to Ruby. The red haired girl had grabbed numerous parts and tools whose total equal a few hundred Lien. That would drain most of the money she had in her account... for this week, and a transaction like this will not go unnoticed by her father. What would she say if he questioned her over this transaction? It's not like Weiss to spend so much money, or any money at all, at a weapon's store; she already gets her supply of dust from the company for free.

"Here's my card," said Winter as she handed a debit card to the cashier.

"Huh?" asked both of the younger girls with surprise.

Weiss argued, "Winter, I said I got this." Deep down, she was glad that Winter was paying for the purchase, but a Schnee should never go back on their word.

"Come on, Little Sister, I invited both of you on this trip. At least give me the privilege to treat the both of you."

Ruby hugged Winter. "Thank you, Winter." Realizing she just hugged a woman she barely knows, she quickly pulled away. "Sorry about that. You're probably not used to getting hugs from people you barely know. I just got a little excited."

The woman chuckled. "It's fine, Ruby. It's always nice to get a hug from someone, even if she is a newly acquainted friend." A blush crept up on the girl's face; it was nice that her girlfriend's sister considered her to be a friend. Weiss could not believe that, for once in her life, felt jealousy towards her older sister. She is supposed to be the one who gets all of Ruby's hug, except for Yang. The blonde would probably kill her if she steals all of Ruby's hug.

The three of them exited the shop with Ruby examining every part she collected. "What do you plan to do with all of those?" inquired Winter.

Ruby replied ecstatically, "I'm going to build a new weapon of my own design."

Weiss asked, "Really? I thought you were happy with Crescent Rose?"

The girl gasped with disgust. "Of course I'm happy with Crescent Rose! How could you say such a horrible thing?" Weiss felt bad now. "I'm mostly doing this because I want more practice building my own weapons."

The older Schnee asked, "Did you build Crescent Rose?"

"Yes, I did. All students who attended Signal are required to build their own weapons. Of course most students rely on help for building the weapon that they want to use, so they somewhat know how to build the weapon that they'll use throughout their careers as hunters and know nothing on how to build any other weapons."

"That is a nice requirement to have at a hunters' school, but why do you want to build other weapons if you're happy with the one you currently have?"

"Even though we will be called into action quite often, huntsmen and huntresses need a secondary job to support themselves. When I graduate Beacon, I want to create my own store that sells standard and unique weapons as well as repairing weaponry and building customized weapons on commission."

Weiss looked at Ruby with surprise. Why hasn't she asked Ruby about her dreams after graduation? Is it because that she is younger than her that she would not have expected Ruby to have thought that far ahead yet? Weiss was disappointed with herself for not asking her girlfriend about her dreams, but she still felt pride for the younger girl. Despite her childish behavior, she has still matured splendidly. However, the heiress questioned what she herself will do after graduation. Will she try to run the Schnee Dust Company, or would she join the Atlestian military like her sister? She does not know.

"That's a great dream to have, Ruby," commented Winter.

As they walked on, Winter gave Ruby some advice about running a business, such as deciding prices off of supply and demand, paying taxes, hiring a professional accountant to manage business accounts, and so on. Ruby admittedly looked overwhelmed at first, but with more advice from the white haired woman she became more comfortable with the thought of the responsibilities that come with running a business.

The three girls eventually made their way to a restaurant for lunch. They sat at a booth with Ruby and Weiss sitting together and Winter sitting across from them. While waiting for their food, Ruby grabbed Weiss' hand below the table and she grabbed back.

Winter asked, "Ruby, did anyone help you build Crescent Rose?"

Ruby nodded. "Yep. I got help from Uncle Qrow."

"No way! You're related to Qrow?!" Winter blurted out, surprising both of the young girls.

The two glanced at each other for a quick second before Ruby replied. "Yeah. Why... Why do you ask?"

"Back when I attended Beacon, he was, I guess you could say, my rival."

"Oh yeah?!"

She nodded. "So how's he doing now days? He hasn't kept in touch with me since we graduated."

"He's doing good. He's teaching at Signal, actually."

"Oh, I see." Winter looked down at her glass of water, seemingly lost in thought.

"Do you miss him? I could give you his contact info," Ruby offered innocently.

"What? No, no. I don't want his contact info." Winter looked at her water for a moment, and after a moment of contemplation, she pulled a card from her pocket and handed it to Ruby. "However, you can give this to him, if you want."

Ruby looked at the card. Written on it was Winter's private and work phone numbers as well as her email address. She did not understand the woman at all. Is she insisting that Qrow be the first one to call after graduation? She slipped the card into a pouch she had connected to her belt. "I'll give it to him."

Winter crossed her arms, "He better call me then. It's been a long time since I got the chance to irritate my rival." Both of the girls were starting to wonder if there was thing between Winter and Qrow. Then the ringing of a phone interrupted the conversation, and Winter answered her cell. "I'm sorry. I got to go take care of this right quick." Leaving the table, Winter retreated to a more secluded area.

When she was out of sight, Ruby said, "You're sister sure is nice, Weiss. It actually seems like she has a thing for my uncle."

Smiling slightly, Weiss nodded. "Yeah. Winter is a good sister."

"Then how come you've cut her out of your life for the past few years."

Weiss' grasp on Ruby's hands tightened. "There was an incident several years ago, and since then, I haven't been able to look her in the eye."

Tread carefully, Ruby. Become too nosy or hit a sensitive topic, and you could severely damage your relationship with Weiss. "W-what was the incident." There was no immediate reply. The girl with the scar over her left eye used a straw to swirl the ice in her glass of water around and around, seeming staring deeply into swirling liquid; perhaps she was looking back into her past rather than the water. The girl's silence was killing Ruby, her heartbeat hastening. "If you don't want to talk about–"

"I'll tell you about it later. Tonight," said Weiss, adverting her attention from the water to Ruby's silver eyes. "When we get home, I'll tell you everything."

"A-alright." Ruby's heartbeat began to steady out, relieved that Weiss was willing to explain the incident to her. "But why when we get home?"

"When I tell you the story, there is one item I would like to show you." Was this item Weiss is speaking about the object Ruby had found under the heiress' bed? Weiss chugged half her glass of water, trying to relieve the heat of nervousness in her face and calm the stampede of butterflies within her stomach. She wants to have her sister back in her life too, just like Winter wants her back too. Perhaps, revealing her feelings and guilt to Ruby, she might be able to finally forget that unfortunate day and live life with her sister once again. She chuckled. "I will admit though, I am nervous about telling you though."

Ruby wrapped her arms around Weiss, squeezing her into a tight embrace. "Don't worry about it. You're strong enough to do this. I know it."

She returned her girlfriend's hug. "Thanks Ruby."

She then pulled out of the embrace, and gave her girlfriend a quick kiss on the lip, causing her to blush greatly. Weiss kissing her still is not something she is entirely used to yet. "I thought you didn't want Winter to know that we are dating yet," she said shyly, holding her fingers up to her mouth.

Weiss smiled. "She's not her at the moment, so one quick kiss won't hurt."

"I love you, Weiss."

"I love you too, Ruby."

* * *

Winter stood alone with her phone in the bathroom, isolated with the door locked. She spoke quietly, "So, is the transaction done?"

A voice on the other end replied, "Yes, Miss Schnee. You now own all of Mr. Charon's stocks."

"Excellent. You know what to do."

"Yes, Ma'am, we'll keep the information of the legal change in stock ownership from getting to him, but we can only keep this up for so long. He will find out soon enough."

Winter gritted her teeth. "I know. Please do keep this up for as long as possible though." Winter hung up the phone. Her plan has moved along smoothly; she has manage to capture all of her enemy's piece, and it is now time to move on to the endgame. In order to win, she needs Weiss. Black or White. It's time for the grey queen to pick a color, a side.

* * *

Meanwhile, Yang walked into the dining hall, still wearing her shorts and tank top. A butler approached her, asking what she would like for lunch. "Lunch?" she asked sheepishly. "What time is it?"

"It is around 12:15, Miss Xiao Long," replied the butler.

All fatigue vanished from Yang as her eyes nearly popped out of her head. "It's that late already?!"

Blake entered the room still wearing her robe. "What's going on?" she asked sheepishly.

"It's already afternoon!" shouted Yang.

Blake looked at her blankly before heading back out. "I'm going back to sleep then."

"I can't believe I slept half the day away."

* * *

The shattered moon crept across the dark sky once again. Ruby and Weiss entered the latter's room, carrying many bags of items they've bought throughout the day, ranging from weapon parts to clothing. Before they had returned to the estate, Winter had treated the two of them to one of the most renowned restaurants in all of Atlas, and now they were ready to kick back and call it a night. Ruby was rummaging through her parts when Weiss came walking up to her with a familiar long and thin box. Setting her parts down, she sat down with Weiss on the bed so she could show her the item she told her about earlier. "This is the thing I've wanted to show you."

Weiss opened the box, and within it lied a weapon that had a similar build to her Myrtenaster, but it lacked the Myrtenaster's elegance. Even though she had seen it last night, it was still a surprise to Ruby to see the weapon a second time. Weiss explained, "This is Myrtenaster's prototype; I guess you could say that it is Myrtenaster v 1.0 or something like that. I built this weapon many years ago, back when I decided that I was going to be a huntress." Ruby was speechless; she could not find a single word to say, even though she suspected as much. Hearing the truth can be shocking, even if you suspected it.

Focusing solely on the weapon, Weiss stated, "All of those years ago, I nearly killed Winter with this."


	15. Reconciliation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weiss recollect the memories of a tragic accident that has occurred several years ago.

"All of those years ago, I nearly killed my older sister," Weiss stated; her voice carried only a sense of sorrow, but her eyes showed nothing but sorrow.

Ruby placed her hands around Weiss', grabbing them tightly. "Tell me what happened, Weiss," she requested kindly, but there was hesitation on the heiress' part. "Weiss, I realize that this is possibly the most painful topic you'd ever have to talk about it, but if you can't talk about it, if you keep shoving it into the past, whatever happened will continue to haunt you for the rest of your life." Her hands grasped Weiss' tighter. "Please tell me, Weiss. I want to help if I can."

Weiss looked her girlfriend in the eyes, fully understanding the words she spoke. "Alright, Ruby," replied Weiss.

Many years ago.

"Winter! Winter!" cried the voice of an ecstatic, younger Weiss Schnee as she ran through her father's mansion, looking for her older sister. She searched nearly every room, gradually getting more and more anxious to show her the newly built weapon she carried in her hands, a rapier with dust cartridges. This has been her first time to craft a weapon, and she wants to show it off to her beloved sister. She eventually found her in a training room located in the back of the building; the older sister has built up a sweat developing her skills so she can enter Beacon Academy. Back then, Winter had all of her hair tied back into a bun. "Winter!" called out Weiss happily, running up to her sister.

"Hey, Weiss!" answered Winter. "What you got there?"

Weiss held out her rapier. "It's Myrtenaster, the weapon I've spent the past few week working on."

Winter inspected the weapon; not exactly the most elegant of design but still appeared formidable. She could tell her sister had poured her heart and soul into developing the rapier. "It looks great, Weiss," she commented.

The younger girl's face beamed with happiness. "You really think so?"

"Of course, Weiss. Would you like to spar with me? Test out your new weapon?"

She was uncertain. "I-I don't know," replied Weiss. "I'm not that good at fighting yet, and this hasn't been properly tested. I could really hurt you."

Winter smiled comfortingly, running her hand through Weiss' short hair. "Then that's why we should spar, so you can develop your skills and test your weapon. Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself."

Weiss took Winter's words into consideration before coming to a decision. "Alright, Winter. Let's do this."

The two of them stood across the arena with one of the butlers acting as an officiator. Weiss held her Myrtenaster, and Winter had a normal rapier. With the match started, Winter and Weiss charged at each other. The sound of metal clanging against each other rung across the entire room, the butler keeping a safe distance away. Winter was closing in on her, about to strike a blow on her younger sister. Weiss summoned up a rune which allowed her to fly backwards, effectively dodging the attack.

"Nice moves with your semblance, Weiss," commented Winter with a smirk, "but you're going to need to do more than dodge."

Weiss smirked back. "Don't worry. I intend to."

Spinning the revolver of dust attached to her rapier, Weiss stabbed the weapon into the ground. Ice crystals spawned from the ground heading straight for Winter. The older Schnee did not react fast enough for her feet were now encased in ice. That was a nice move. Weiss charged at her sister, swinging Myrtenaster forward. The ice she summoned may have restrained Winter's feet, but not her hands. She blocked the incoming attack with her rapier with one hand, and punched Weiss lightly in the stomach, but with still enough force to send her younger sister back and leave stunned momentarily. Using the opening presented before her, Winter broke herself free from the ice and charged Weiss. Regaining her footing, she saw her sister running towards her. Weiss, a young girl still inexperienced with the feel of a battle, became frightened. Acting purely on impulse, she changed the selected dust cartridge to a red vile and swung her weapon.

Without warning, an explosion occurred, hitting Weiss and knocking her down and completely engulfing Winter. Weiss shakily picked herself back up. The left half of her vision blurred with a warm feeling running around the eye, she reached up to find the source. Looking at her hand, the young girl found an ominous red liquid staining her fingers. The butler called out her name as he ran towards her, but his words fell on deaf ears. Weiss could not hear the world around her, or feel the touch of the butler grabbing her shoulders, and everything in her line of sight was out of focused, except for the sight of her blood stained hand.

That, and the unconscious body of her sister lying before her. Winter lied face down on the ground, her clothes nearly completely blown away. Her body were covered with burn marks and cuts across her body, a puddle of blood forming beneath her body. Tears formed in her eyes, her head starting to feel lighter as she became more and more nauseous. She has never seen anything more unsightly, and it was all her fault. It is her fault that this happened to her sister. It is her fault. It is her fault. It is all her fault. She covered her mouth with her hand as she puked followed by hyperventilation.

"WINTER!" she cried out, having steadied her breath.

The young heiress tried to run to her sister, but her body was in so much pain; so much so that she immediately collapsed. Her vision continued to lose focus until everything gradually went black.

The next thing she remembered, she was waking up in the hospital room, the butler sitting next to her, and her father staring out of the window, his back turned to her. The butler expressed his gratitude that she woke up, but her father did not acknowledge her. Asking where her sister is, the butler replied that she is in the emergency room, receiving surgery. Silence fell over the room. Weiss found it difficult trying to process all that had happened. Her sister is having to undergo surgery because of her. It is so horrifying that she could cry.

There was a knock at the door before a doctor entered. He had a scruffy beard and was a bit on the chubby side. The man said, "Miss Schnee. Good to see you are awake. How are you doing?"

How is she doing? This doctor most likely knows of the tragedy that has befallen them, and he has the audacity to ask her how she is doing. "I'm alive," was all that she managed to reply.

"Doctor Sorola," called out her father, finally pulling away from the window but not looking in Weiss' direction. "Tell me how is Winter doing."

Doctor Sorola was intimidated by the man, but replied honestly. "She will live. We have patched up all of her internal wounds, but her limbs were severely damaged and her right eye has been torn apart. We are giving her a blood transfusion as she is sleeping in her own room right now. Due to the injuries inflicted on her limbs, there is a high possibility that she will have to attend physical therapy."

Tears poured down Weiss' face. Winter's right eye is gone, and she will have to attend physical therapy? This cannot be. It just cannot. Mr. Schnee said harshly, "You're a disappointment, Weiss," before leaving the room, slamming the door right behind him. She could not hold it in any longer; Weiss let all of her tears go and balled her heart out. The doctor left, giving them some privacy, and the butler tried his best to calm to the crying girl, but to no avail. Finally he said that everything will be alright and that he will have a talk to Mr. Schnee. At that time though, Weiss had no idea that would be the last time she saw that butler ever again.

The next day, Weiss' body only felt sore, but she could walk around now. It was only with the supervision of a nurse that she was allowed to roam the hospital though. With a nurse at her side, she made her way to Winter's hospital room. It was a horrendous sight to see Winter in that sad state. The older sister's body was nearly covered from head to toe with bandages. The only visible part was her face minus her right eye. She looked over at her younger sister, the girl who had put her in this bed. She should have all right to hate Weiss, but she simply smiled, calling out to her little sister happily. "W-Weiss." Her left hand trembled as she lifted it, beckoning for her little sister to come to her.

Weiss' lung lost the ability to transport air, her stomach churned, and her heartbeat started racing. Why? Winter should hate her for what she had done, and yet she is still welcoming her happily. Weiss just cannot comprehend that. Accepting Winter's request, she sat down next to her older sister. "Glad to see... that you're... alright, Weiss." She's even more concerned for Weiss' health over her own. Weiss attempted to look Winter in the eye, but every time she does she sees Winter in that sickening state after that explosion, and she is forced to look away. Even if her sister could forgive her, there is no way Weiss could ever forgive herself. It is her fault. It is all her fault that Winter is now sitting in a bed after nearly clinging to life. Even back before the match, she knew it would be dangerous to use an untested weapon, but still she gave into Winter's pleas.

Winter saw the sorrow, the regret, the consuming guilt in the expression of Weiss' face. She grabbed her little sister's hand. Looking surprised at first, she grabbed her hand back, tightly. She does not look her in the eye though. "Weiss..." she spoke coarsely. "Promise me... something..."

"What is it, Winter?" she asked, looking at her face, but not her eye.

"I want you... to promise me... that you won't give up... on your dream of becoming... a huntress."

"Winter-"

"Weiss... what happened... wasn't your fault."

"Of course it was my fault!" Weiss snapped. "The whole god dang incident is my fault!" Weiss got up from her seat, flailing her arms about in anger. Her limbs stung, but her anger phased out the pain. "I found out how it happened too! A part in the dust loading mechanism was a little loose, so it couldn't properly distribute the necessary amount of dust. Too much dust was consumed and caused that explosion." The girl's leg were trembling, close to giving in to the pain from the angry pacing she has been doing. "You're in that stupid, dreaded bed now because I was not thorough enough to make sure one little piece was screwed in all of the way." She walked over to the door, hand on the handle, and ready to retreat to her room so she could cry in privacy. "It's all my fault."

Winter looked down, staring at her bandage covered hands. If this was anyone's fault, it was her own. She pressured Weiss into sparring with her, even though Weiss kept refusing because her rapier had not been properly tested yet. She felt that her telling Weiss that would not help her forgive herself, so she will give her sister time to come to term with recent events. Hopefully, in time, she will come to forgive herself. "Alright," she said in defeat. "But still, just promise me... you'll still work to become a huntress."

She took one last, quick look at Winter before back at the door handle she had grasped tightly. If this is what Winter is asking of her, it is the least she can do. "Alright, Winter. I'll do it. I'll become a huntress."

Ruby could feel water dropping on her hands; the proud heiress that sat before her was crying. Weiss said, "So I became a huntress, not because it was my dream, but so I could atone for what I have done to Winter." Of course if anyone had asked her, she would still simply reply that it is the only career she would have ever wanted. "The Myrtenaster I have now is something I had built by a professional. I couldn't stand to look at this weapon, not after the tragedy it had caused, and I didn't trust myself to build another one." Weiss has never let anyone see her cry. Never, until now. Unable to contain all of emotions anymore, she let it all out. She cried in front of Ruby, the only person in the whole world she is comfortable with seeing her in this vulnerable state.

Ruby wrapped herself around Weiss, embracing her girlfriend tightly and comfortingly, gently stroking her back. The heiress grasped onto the younger girl, burying her face into the Ruby's chest. Weiss has bottled up this pain for so many years, and even now it still torments her. It is never easy getting rid of the guilt that you have almost killed someone, especially if that someone was a beloved family member. "It's alright, Weiss," spoke Ruby softly. "I know it must be hard on you, and that I could never understand what it feels like to nearly... The important thing is that you are both alive." Ruby pulled back so Weiss could look her in the eyes. The white haired girl felt a strong and courageous yet soothing vibe from the red haired girl. "It's obvious that Winter doesn't blame you for the accident. If anything, she might think everything is her own fault for pressuring you into accepting the fight." The sobs of the older girl began to calm.

"No matter whose fault it is, Winter wants to be with you now. She wants to be a family to the little sister she loves so much. Instead of focusing on the past, you should go be with your sister, and be thankful that she is still with you now. Cherish every moment you two have together, until the day you are ready to pass on." Ruby wiped away the tears from Weiss' eyes.

The heiress smiled, grabbing the hand that just cleaned her face of her tears. "For a child, Ruby, you sure are wise. I can see why Ozpin chose you to be our team leader."

* * *

Winter is once again sitting on the railing of a tower overlooking her entire estate. She had a glass of champagne in her hand, shaking it around to watch the water swirl from the movement. She had fun today. She got to spend time with her sister, and Ruby is such a exciting and spirited young girl; there is no way she could not have had fun. She would like to hang out with the both of them a bit more.

"Winter." The woman, having heard her name, looked over to the entrance. There stood Weiss, her hand being held by Ruby.

Getting off of the railing and setting the glass down, she asked, "What is it, Weiss?"

Looking at Ruby, and with a nod from the girl, she freed her hand from Ruby's grasp, and rushed towards and jumped at Winter, hugging her firmly. The two of them fell down, but Weiss kept her grasp around her older sister. "I love you, Winter."

Winter's emotions ranged from surprised to joyful. "What brought that about all of sudden, Weiss?"

Pulling away, she replied, "After talking to Ruby, I realized something. While I still consider that accident to be my fault, moping about the past isn't going to change everything. All that matters is that you still love me and that you want me to be in your life. Instead of focusing on the past, I'm going to enjoy and be thankful for the time I can spend with you."

Winter smiled while running her hand through her little sister's hair; she always loved her sister's long, silky hair. "Weiss, the accident wasn't your fault. I was the one who pressured you into fighting me. That does not matter now, though. I'm just happy that you're going to let me be your big sister again."

"Oh, Winter." The two pulled each other in for another hug. Ruby, watching from afar, was sniffling. She has never seen something more beautiful, more touching, than those two sisters reconciling with each other. She was about to burst into tears because she was so happy for them. Weiss pulled apart from Winter and motioned for Ruby to come to them. The red head sat down next to them.

Weiss looked between Winter and Ruby. This is a huge test. If Ruby is right that Winter truly loves her younger sister, then she should be accepting of what she is about to tell her next. "Winter, I got something to tell you." It's easier said than done though. Her heart was running a million miles a minute. What if she does not accept this? She does not want to lose her sister again. However, if they are truly to be sisters again, she has to tell Winter, and Winter needs to be accepting of Weiss, no matter what. Firmly grabbing Ruby's hand for reassurance, she felt all doubt leave her body as she spoke. "Ruby and I are in love and are actually dating each other. It would be... wonderful to know that we have your blessing."

Winter looked between the two of them seriously, making Weiss start to feel anxious again. Focusing her attention on Ruby, she asked, "Ruby, how much do you love my sister?"

Ruby felt a chill emanating from the older woman. She felt that one wrong word could possibly result in her death. "I love her greatly."

"You wouldn't happen to be after her fortune, would you?"

Weiss shouted, "WINT-"

The woman held a finger to Weiss' mouth, commanding her to be silent.

Ruby felt a bit hurt that Winter would ask such a thing, but a big sister must always ferret out any possible threats to hurting her little sister's feelings. If their roles were reversed, she is certain that Yang would ask Weiss the same thing. All she could do is tell the truth. She looked Winter straight in the eyes, noticing that the right one had a bit of a glare to it; it was a glass eye. Yeah, that is real important right now, Ruby. Putting on the most serious face she could muster, she replied, "I am not after her money, Winter. Weiss makes me happy. I love her so much that I am willing to die for her. My love for her is so strong, I can take on any hardships we encounter. As long as we can be together, nothing else matters to me."

The two glared at each other, not uttering a single word for what felt like forever. Finally, Winter turned to face her sister. "Weiss."

"Y-yes?" stuttered Weiss.

"You two have my blessings," she answered with a smile.

"S-so you don't mind that I am dating another girl."

"Man or woman, human or faunus, I don't care about any of those traits, Weiss. As long as the person you are dating makes you happy, and they truly love you too, it matters not to me who you date."

Weiss and Ruby felt so much relief, especially Weiss. She felt as if a boulder of burden has been removed from her heart. "Winter, you have no idea how happy that makes me."

Winter chuckled. "I have a guess. Ruby, I must commend the courage you showed me right there. I believe you are a good match for my little sister."

Ruby chuckled as well. "As long as I don't mean harm for the little sister, the big sister will mean no harm as well. And thank you, Winter. I love her so much."

"I can tell, but we do have one more serious topic to talk about though." And now the nervousness has returned to Ruby and Weiss. What is Winter on to now? "Weiss, have you told our father yet?"

Weiss looked down at the ground, somewhat defeated. "I don't think I can, Winter. There is no way he would approve of our relationship. I don't know what to do about that." Ruby deflated as well. She heard stories about Mr. Schnee; how he can be. There is absolutely no possibility that he will allow their relationship should he find out about it.

Winter felt chills run down her back. Now is the time. Now is the time to ask for Weiss' help. Another good time to ask might not come up. "Weiss, I think I have a solution for your problem."

"You do?" Winter and Ruby asked together in unison, hopefully.

"I do. If you help me with my plans, it will help yourselves as well."

"W-what is it?"

"Weiss. I want you to help me take down our father."

It's checkmate now, Mr. Schnee.


	16. Checkmate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weiss and Winter confront their Father.

"I want you to help me take down our father."

Those words were inconceivable to Weiss. Is it even possible to take down her father, one of the most powerful and influential man in the world? More importantly, what could she possibly do to help defeat Mr. Schnee? "I-I don't know, Winter. Is it even possible?"

"It is," she answered with determination. "I will admit, there was an... ulterior motive to my inviting you here. I did want to see you again, yes, but recently-" Winter hesitated, wondering how she use her next words. For her own safety, she can only tell Weiss so much. If her plans succeed, there will be police inquiries; she will most likely get into trouble as she helps run the company, but she wants her sister to have plausible deniability. "Recently, our father's actions have gone far worse. I know that in your own way, you wanted to restore the name of the Schnee, so do I, but if our father continues to do as he pleases, our family's name will be beyond restoration. That's why I need to stop him as soon as possible."

Ruby had no idea what to make of this situation, but Weiss wanted more answers. "Winter. What is he doing?"

"I can't tell you, Weiss," replied Winter. "For your safety, I want you to have plausible deniability."

Weiss would like to know more, certainly. However, her sister is concerned for her safety and is determined that she will succeed. She looked at Ruby, hoping for some kind of support. It was as if Ruby had read her mind. The red head, "Weiss, you sister seems determined, like she is certain her plan will succeed. You should just have faith in her, and go along with her plan."

Weiss chuckled. "You always seem to know what to say, Ruby." Even though Ruby hardly has an idea what is going on, she was proud that she was able to contribute. "Alright, Winter. I'll help you. What do you need me to do."

Winter released the breath she was holding in, relieved that her sister agreed. "Your task is very simple, really," she explained. "I just need you to sell me the stocks you own of the Schnee Dust Corporation."

"Huh?" was all Weiss managed to say.

"If you can recall, the day Father came into possession of the Schnee Dust Company, he took 70% of the stock, and split it between the three of us. He gave 15% to me, 10% to you, and 45% to himself. The other 30% he distributed among other businessmen who were willing to pay the price. I have already legally bought out the other 30% from those businessmen, so I am tied with Father in the amount of stock we own. With your 10% however, I'll hold the controlling majority of the Schnee Dust Company, and as a result, Father will lose all support of the company, and from there the man will crumble." Winter held out her hand. "So, what do you say, Weiss? Do we have a deal?"

Weiss looked at Winter's hand with genuine shock. She never thought that the most powerful could fall to something so simple as a single deal. Her sister truly is amazing. She accepted the handshake, solidifying the deal. "It's a deal, Winter. I will transfer my stocks over to your name."

"It's been a pleasure doing business with you."

The two of them looked over at Ruby, who appeared to have gotten dizzy from Winter's explanation. Weiss laughed. "I hope you were paying attention, Ruby. That is something you should know should your business ever become a corporation."

Ruby now looked more confused than ever. "A 'corporation'?" she asked.

Winter chuckled. "Oh, Ruby, there is so much more you need to know about business, and I'll be more than happy to help you."

"Thanks, Winter."

* * *

The next day, Winter, Weiss, and Mr. Schnee had all gathered in the board room of the S.D.C. headquarters. Mr. Schnee did not look happy, but then again, neither of the girls can ever recall a time where the man looked genuinely happy. The elder Schnee was the first to talk. "Now then, what do my two daughters have to talk about that is so important."

Winter replied, "I think you should check the ownership of stocks, Father. What you find might leave you pleasantly surprised." It will be pleasant for Winter to see the man surprised, but he will not like the news in the slightest.

Mr. Schnee pulled over a laptop, taping the keys speedily, and pulling up numerous different pages. A moment gone by, and his face became distorted with anger and fear. "What is the meaning of this?" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "According to this, you own 55% of the stock!" He looked over at his eldest daughter, his eyes inflamed with absolute rage. Seeing the smirk on the girl's face, he knew exactly what has happened. "You little bitch! When did you? How could you have claimed so much stock without my realization?"

Weiss was terrified, terrified of monster of wrath that is her father standing across the room. "You see Father, you have zero trust in anyone, but I have friends. Very good friends, human and faunus, that support me no matter what. My friends hacked the systems of the Schnee Dust Company, as well of the stock market, to make it appear that the stocks were not sold off, even though they were now legally in my name." Winter pulled out some papers from a nearby briefcase. "These are only the copies, but all of these are legal documents that state I have legally bought those stock, and that they are now in my name. As you can see, every one of them have been signed by the previous stock owners." She held up a single piece of paper, one that was sold by Weiss Schnee. "This one in particular is my favorite, Father. It shows that even your youngest daughter has turned on you. It also shows the faith my sister has put in me." Winter and Weiss looked at each other happily, glad that they are finally a team once again.

Mr. Schnee said, "Weiss! You ungrateful little brat! You dare to turn your back on your own father as well."

"Please, as if you are a father!" retorted Weiss. "You physically and verbally abused me throughout my entire childhood. Every single time the White Fang managed to hit something relating to the Schnee Dust Company, you took all of your anger out on me." She then pointed accusingly at her father. "I even know some of the things you've been doing to the faunus. You have them slaving away in the mines, having them work in the harshest of conditions. It sickens me." Also, because of his self-righteous views, he would do whatever it would take to keep his own daughter from dating someone she loved.

The raging man had nothing to say. Grinding his teeth together, his face became even more distorted. The man looked like he was ready to kill someone. Weiss said, "And the news only gets worse from there, Father." She addressed the word father with sarcasm, and she took joy in tormenting the man.

Winter pulled out more papers from her briefcase. "All of these paper shows proof of the crimes you have committed, but was able to hide away because of your influences with the Schnee Dust Company." She looked at all of them closely. "From the harsh conditions you treat the faunus with, to actually selling them like slaves to other companies, and your recent, more heinous actions, and a lot of these are stuff you've secretly agreed to in your own name. Plenty of evidence to put you in jail for a very, very long time." Mr. Schnee stopped trembling with anger. He has been defeated, and he knows it. The evidence is on his face. "The reason you were able to get away with so many crimes was because of the influences and resources you had through the company, but now that I have control over the majority of the company, you no longer have those; making it easier to put you away in jail."

Winter stood up, striking a proud yet intimidating pose. "Michael Schnee, as CEO and majority owner of the Schnee Dust Company, I fire you," she proclaimed with authority. "And as General of the Atlesian Army, I hereby place you under arrest." Many soldiers from the army broke into the room, blocking off all exits and aiming the guns directly at Mr. Schnee. "Give up, Michael Schnee. This is the end of the line for you."

"No," replied Mr. Schnee. "I decide how things end for me." Standing up, he backed up to the windows that stretched from the floor to the ceiling. Smashing his fist against the window, the entire glass pane shattered behind him. High speed wind were now free to roam the room, blowing ever piece of paper into the air. "This is the ending I've decided for myself, Winter!"

"What are you doing, Father?" shouted Winter. With the roar of the wind engulfing the room, she could barely hear her own voice.

"You are right, Winter Schnee! With my loss of the company, and the evidence you have against me, there is no doubt that I will go to jail! I much rather die here than spend my life in jail!"

"Don't do this, Father!" pleaded Weiss. She may have no respect for her father, but she certainly did not wish him dead.

The suicidal man laughed. "There is one thing I don't get, though! I hate the two of you from the bottom of my heart, and yet I can't help but feel proud for the both of you! Madness, isn't it!" The two Schnee girls felt pleased and confused. Their father has never been proud of them. "You have my respect, but I will be seeing the both of you in Hell!"

He took the step back and disappeared below the floor. Despite the roaring wind, everything was silent to the girls. They called out for their father, and yet they could not hear their own voice. All that was heard was the faint sound of a collision and the terrified screams of the pedestrians below. Winter rushed to the window, checking the scenery below. She stepped back, raising her hand to her mouth. Weiss came running up, but Winter held her back.

Winter said, "No, Weiss. You don't need to see this." She gave a signal to the soldiers, and they all rushed out of the room. Winter then hugged Weiss tightly, seeking comfort, which her sister provided. This was not how she wanted things to end. True, her father was a despicable man, but she had hoped that him spending time in jail would have a good affect on him. She had hope that, one day, she could have worked with them becoming a family once again. That is all she had ever wanted. A little sister she was proud of and could dote on, a father she could look up to, and a grandfather who is not estranged from them. Winter wanted to cry, but she could not. Her tear ducts have dried up a long time ago.

The two continued to hug for what felt like an eternity. Eventually, they heard the sound of sirens approaching the scene.

* * *

It was a rough night at Winter's estate. Ruby, Yang, and Blake were with Weiss in the latter's room, offering emotional support for the heiress. They kept on trying to have happy, uplifting conversations. Most of which consisted on pranks Ruby and Yang pulled on their father and uncle. They all kept close to her, should she need comfort at any time throughout the night. As the night went on, they eventually all fell asleep on the bed, all cuddled up with each other. The butlers and maids were all busy accepting calls from numerous people offering condolences to Winter on her father's passing.

Winter was at her usual spot, in the tower of her mansion. Instead of drinking champagne from a glass, she was drinking it straight from the bottle. It's rare to see the woman like this. It's been a long day, and she needs something to calm her nerves. She did not know how to feel though. She should be glad that her plan succeeded because she is certain her father would have sent hitmen to get her should she had failed and he found out. However, her father is dead now. Feeling a buzz in her pocket, she pulled out her phone to find a message.

This is Qrow. I'll be calling you here in a few seconds.

Winter felt her heart race having read that message. Her phone began ringing and her heart went faster. Trying to sound dignified, she said, "This is Winter Schnee."

"Drop the act, Winter. I know you know it's me," replied Qrow on the other end.

Winter let herself relax. "Hey, Qrow. It's been a while."

"It has, hasn't it?"

"I've missed you, you know."

"Missed me because you like me, or missed me because you missed teasing your rival?" asked Qrow.

"Both," Winter replied. Her heartbeat was starting to steady. It was nice to talk to Qrow after so long.

"Listen, I've heard about what happened today. Ruby sent me your contact information. I was actually surprised that Ruby knew your number, and even more so to learn that she is staying at your place. Anyway, I just called wanting to know how you are doing."

"I'm doing fine," she affirmed.

"Really?" Qrow asked skepitcally.

"...No."

"If you want to talk about it, I'm here for you."

"I sent my father to his death, Qrow," she replied, her voice on the verge of breaking up.

Qrow said comfortingly, "No, you didn't, Winter."

"But I did!" she snapped. "It was because of everything I did, because I pulled out all of his safety nets, that when I cornered him, he decided to kill himself. This must have been how Weiss felt when that stupid, effing accident happened all of those years ago."

"Winter..."

"I know that he was a horrible man and that he needed to face up to the crimes he committed, but I was still hoping that there was some way that we could be family again. If I could have only have gotten him away from all of that shit he was involved with... I keep thinking maybe there was something else I could have done to stop him but keep him alive."

"Winter! Listen to me!" snapped Qrow. Winter remained silent, ready to listen to what Qrow had to say. "You should have nothing to feel guilty about. If you hadn't done what you have done, then your father would have hurt many more innocent people. There is probably nothing else you could have done, but you did the right thing. Be happy that you saved many people from harm and let it go. Didn't you say many times that Weiss should 'let it go' when it came to your accident?"

"I suppose you do have a point, Qrow."

"How are things going with your sister anyway?"

"Great, actually," she replied. "She finally managed to move on. At least I managed to get one person of my family back."

"That's great!" Qrow exclaimed ecstatically. "I'm glad to hear that!"

"Thank you, Qrow."

"Hey, listen. I'm going to have to let you go here in a minute, but I want you know that I'm here for you. Also, if you want me to, I could stop by and visit you for a few days."

Winter smiled, completely ignoring her pride of screwing with her rival. "I'd like that a lot, actually. I'll send you the locarion of my estate tomorrow."

"No need. Ruby already told me the location."

"She what? I didn't say she could give you that much information."

The two them shared a a hearty laugh. "I'll stop by real soon."

"I look forward to your visit."

Winter was more than happy that Qrow called. Despite the two of them being rivals and the fact that they do not exactly see eye to eye in some situations, the man always know what to say to make her feel better. She truly is looking forward to his visit. Now she just has to remember to thank Ruby for giving her contact info to Qrow, and also scold her about sharing the location of her estate. On second thought, she'll let that part slide.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had this chapter in mind for a long time now, well, since fhe beginning of the Winter Arc. This is kinda derived from the Yugioh original manga, where Kaiba took control of the conpany from his father, Gozaboro, and Gozaboro jumped out of the window as a result. I know this seems kinda dark, but for some reason, I couldn't think of any other way to work this out. Anyway, the next chapter will bring the end to the Winter Arc, and I'll find something new to write about for this story. I hope you enjoyed, and if you did, a comment and/or kudo would be greatly appreciated.


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